


Old Names and New Faces

by OrigamiArrows



Category: Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-25
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-04-27 21:17:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 137,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14434263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrigamiArrows/pseuds/OrigamiArrows
Summary: After magic is discovered in Alice's world of science and war, things go terribly wrong when someone uses it. She is separated from her younger brother and needs to find him quickly before their time runs out. But when she goes to the one woman that can help her, Alice finds she'll have to deal with the last thing she wanted; traveling companions.(Moved here from Fanfiction, where it has 39 followers, 30 favorites and 19 reviews as of 4/26/19)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first fan fiction, so my writing in these first few chapters in decent, but not great. If you can stick with it, I promise my writing improves with every chapter. Thank you for stopping by!

**A/N:** Hey, thanks for taking a look at my story! A few things you might want to know before you begin; this story will follow the **manga** , it will center around my **OC** , and she will **not be shipped** with anyone. Also, this first chapter was edited on 4/19/19, but at this time, the next chapter has not been, so my writing wont be as good. If you keep reading I promise the writing quality improves with every chapter.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you have a second, they make my day!

* * *

My breath came in gasps but my boots fell sure against the pavement. I ran through unfamiliar streets and a shifting series of startled faces, hoping I was headed in the right direction.

The houses were close together, and the clouds hung low and dark. The people I passed glanced at me in surprise before I left them behind me. Occasionally, I would bump into them, but I didn't slow down.

I wasn't sure how I knew where to go. Every time I tried to think about the information's source, my mind slid to another subject. Right now, that meant my new scrapes and burns from the explosion back at the facility. They were painful but not life threatening. The System was already getting to work; my injuries would be healed within the day.

My mind spun around and around the last few hours, struggling to match them with reality. I didn't know how my brother had gotten past multiple levels of security, or how a feather had sent me here, and I couldn't find an explanation. But I was here now.

I couldn't remember how, but I knew the way to finding my brother was down this street. I had to focus on that, I didn't have much time.

Without slowing, I turned a corner and found myself sprinting alongside a wooden fence. When I came to a gap in the boards, I stopped, knowing this was the place I'd been looking for. I stepped through the opening, bracing myself for the unknown. I didn't know what to expect, only that something here could help me find my brother.

I hadn't expected a courtyard of oddly dressed people. They stood in the barren yard of an ornate building. In front of the building stood a woman in a cascading black dress. She regarded me with red eyes and an unsurprised expression.

The man nearest me loomed over everyone. He wore black armor, but not kevlar. It was steel and leather, and a sword rested on his hip. He glared down at me, before returning his gaze to the woman.

Another man, who had been hidden from view behind the man in black, leaned out to peer at her. He wore a thick white coat, and held a gleaming staff, adorned with blue gems. He grinned at me and waved. I stared at him blankly before looking away.

Beyond him, a boy knelt on the ground, covered in mud, water dripping from his bangs. In his arms was a girl, pale and unconscious. Using The System, I increased my hearing and focused on her. Her heartbeat was too slow, even for sleep, and her breaths were shallow and labored.

Next was a boy with brown hair and eyes. He wore a dusty black shirt, baggy pants and work boots. He was kneeling on the ground, his shoulders were hunched and he held an unconscious girl. She was sickly pale and had chin length, light brown hair.

"Have you come to travel as well?" I looked away to find the woman with red eyes watching me.

Travel? Why? "I don't know. I need to find someone. I was told to come here for help."

She raised an eyebrow, "Oh? And who told you that?"

I opened my mouth to reply, and found I didn't know the answer. Who had told me? There had been an explosion, I landed in this place and . . . What had she asked me?

"What?" I asked past a growing headache.

The woman regarded me thoughtfully for a moment. Then she grimaced, like she had figured something out and the result was unpleasant. What had we been talking about? Right, I'd told her I needed help.

"Can you help me or not?" I asked, my tone rough.

"I can, for a price," she said.

That was a problem. I didn't have money.

She raised a hand, drawing my attention. "I won't be taking currency, but before we get into that, can I have your names?"

I forced myself to relax. I needed something from this woman, so I had to slow down and talk to her politely. "I'm Alice."

The woman nodded and turned her attention to the warrior.

"Me?" He asked. "I'm Kurogane. But . . . what is this place?"

"It's called Japan," she said. The name of this world reminded me that I wasn't in Elpedite, or even on the same planet. Was this another planet, or another reality?

"Eh? My country's called Japan, too." He growled.

"Yes. A different Japan."

"I'm to getting any of this!" He said.

The woman ignored his anger, turning to the blonde man. "And you?"

The man bowed. "The wizard of Seresu, Fai D. Fluorite." I wasn't sure what a wizard was. Maybe a title, like general or king?

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, I am Yuuko. Now, do you know where you are?"

"Yes, a place where any wish can be granted if a suitable price is paid," Fai explained.

"That's exactly it. And so the reason why all of you are here is because each of you has a wish."

At the same time both Fai and Kurogane began speaking; "My home world…."

Fai continued, "….is the place I do not want to be."

Kurogane finished, "….is where I want to be."

Yuuko nodded, "That is a tall order for the four of you. No . . .for all five of you perhaps. Even if you offered the most precious things you own, none of you has enough to pay." I wasn't sure what to think. Everything was happening so fast. How could transportation be so expensive? Was it a plane or train ride? The only thing I could think of was space travel, which would make sense if they were on a different planet.

The boy started to shake, but Yuuko continued, "But if all four of you paid together, you just might be able to afford it."

"What kind of crap are you spouting?" Kurogane scoffed.

Fai gave a little wave. "Mr. Black, can you keep your insults down?"

"I'm not Mr. Black!"

"All four of your wishes are the same." Yuuko said.

She glanced at the boy and nodded at the unconscious girl. "You want to go to many worlds in order to restore the memory of this child."

Yuuko addressed Kurogane. "You want to return to your own world."

Then to Fai, she said, "You want to go to different worlds to avoid returning to your own."

And finally she pointed to me, "And you need to travel worlds to find the person you're searching for." She lowered her hand. "You have different reasons, but the method is the same. Travel to different dimensions, that is what you need." She glanced at each of us, "Each of you individually cannot make that wish happen. However if the four of you combine payment for one wish, then you can afford it."

She was right, the way of getting what we wanted was the same, but I didn't like the idea of traveling with these people.

"Then what would my payment be?" Kurogane demanded.

Yuuko pointed to his side, "Your sword."

"I'd never sell away Ginryuu!" He snapped, turning to angle his sword away from her.

"Fine!" Yuuko grinned, advancing on him and poking his chest, "Instead you will wander this world looking like some costume-contest loser and get picked up by the police for carrying an unlawful sword, then get plastered all over the TV for being a freak! Is that what you want?"

Kurogane stared down at the smug woman and sputtered.

"You realize that you are trapped here, and I'm the only person in the world who can get you out?" she asked.

"That's got to be a lie!"

"It's all true!" Fai called in a sing-song voice.

"You're kidding!"

Yuuko smirked. "What will you do?"

"Dammit!" he snarled. "When I'm free from this curse, I'm coming back for it!" He thrust his sword at her. when he let go it floated out of his grip and hovered behind her. I scanned the courtyard, trying to find any magnets, or wires, but I couldn't find anything that would explain a floating sword. Using The System to scan for interference turned up nothing.

"Your price, is you markings," Yuuko told Fai.

"I don't suppose this staff would do instead?" He asked, raising the piece up.

"It won't. I told you, the price is the thing you value most."

Fai nodded and a tattoo was lifted from his back to float near the sword. I watched the tattoo, barely keeping my surprise off my face. It was ink. Hanging in the air.

Yuuko's eyes met mine and I refocused. I needed to find Nathaniel. I'd deal with all this strangeness later. "Your price will be those," she raised her finger to point to the hilt of my sword.

She was pointing to the sword, but I knew it couldn't be what she wanted. She wanted what was most valuable to us, and I considered my sword disposable. Which meant she wanted the two rings tied to the hilt. One ring was a gold band and the other had a small blue stone fixed in place by a silver spiraling pattern.

An ill feeling settled in my stomach. But these were rings. Two pieces of jewelry. Compared to my brother, they were nothing. I untied them and held them out, palm up. I met the woman's eyes as she raised her hand. A feeling like a soft breeze ran over my palm, and the rings floated to the space by Fai's tattoo.

"How come the brat gets to keep her sword?" Kurogane growled. I kept my eyes on the strange woman, ignoring him.

Yuuko moved onto the boy. "What about you? Now is the time to hand over your item of highest value and you will be able to travel the worlds."

"Fine," he agreed.

"You realize I haven't named the price yet?"

He responded with the same amount of determination as the first time. "Yes."

"The only thing I can do is send you to other worlds. Finding the child's memories is your responsibility."

"That's fine," he said again.

Yuuko smirked, "I like your attitude."

A boy with black hair and glasses came running out of the building carrying two creatures, one black and one white, both with long ears. They look reminicent of rabbits. He looked surprised when he saw us. "There's more of you?"

Yuuko looked at him as he walked over, then returned her attention to us. "The name of this young one is Mokona Modoki." She gestured to the white one, "Mokona will lead you through the worlds."

Kurogane pointed to the black one. "Hey, you got an extra. Give it to me. I'll go home with that."

Yuuko shook her head, "No. That's how we keep in contact. The only power this one," she pointed to the black one, "has is to communicate with Mokona. Mokona will take you to different dimensions, but there is no way to control which dimension. For that reason, only fate will decide when your wishes are granted."

Her tone went from playful to grave. "However, there is no coincidence in this world. What is there is Hitsuzen. And what brought you together was also Hitsuzen."

"So these are different dimensions, not planets?" I asked.

"Correct," she said. That made more sense, if in an abstract sort of way. Many people had theorizes about parallel realities or dimensions. Compared to the likelihood of humans existing on multiple planets, it was more plausible.

She turned back to the boy. "Syaoran, your price is your relationship. The thing you value most is your relationship with her." The woman pointed to the sleeping girl. "So that is your price."

Syaoran looked horrified. "My price? But how—"

She cut him off. "Even if this child's memories are completely restored, your relationship with her will never be the same again. So what is she to you?"

Syaoran looked down at the girl, and even I knew what he'd choose. "A childhood friend," he said, "and the princess of a country and… a girl who is precious to me!"

"I see." Yuuko's expression softened. "However, if you want to accept Mokona, that relationship will end. Even if you retrieve all of her memories, the memory that you will never retrieve will be her memory of you." She was quiet for a moment. "That is my price. Will you still pay it?"

He didn't hesitate. "Let's go. I will not let Sakura die!"

Yuuko nodded. "Traveling between worlds is more difficult than you imagine. There are a wide variety of worlds. For example, the worlds these three come from." She glanced at me, Fai, and Kurogane. "You can tell just from their clothes, can't you? They come from very different worlds than yours."

She was right. Fai's coat was thick, tightly woven, and would do well cold weather.

Syaoran's clothes were worn and his tough work boots suggested rugged terrain and an arid climate. Conversely the girl's clothes were light, clean and showed no wear.

Kurogane's clothes were designed for fighting. They were dark with battered metal plates held in place by thickly woven ropes for defense.

My clothes were new, made of kevlar, denim, and leather for mobility.

Yuuko continued. "People you know will have developed under completely different conditions on other worlds. You may meet different versions of the same person time after time on different worlds, but just because that person is nice to you on one world doesn't mean they will be in the next. You'll find worlds where you can't communicate. Scientific development, standard of living, laws… all change with the world. There are worlds full of criminals, worlds of liars, worlds locked in constant wars," I thought of my own, "and you must live through them all. It will be a journey in which you won't know where you are nor how close you are to collecting all of the fractured pieces of memory. That said, are you still determined to see it through?"

"Yes." Syaoran said.

Yuuko extended her hand, the one that Mokona was on, and the wind began to stir. "Sincerity and determination: no matter what a person wants, those are needed. And it seems that you are well provided with both. And so," Mokona grew wings and a circle of shifting, iridescent colors expanded beneath it,"you may go!"

As the final word left her mouth, the wind and colors swirled violently around me and the others. Suddenly, the very air around me was stretching and spinning. I was able to catch a glimpse of the strange white creature before everything disappeared, and I fell.

For a few seconds all I could do was try to process what was happening. Iridescent colors swirled around me, appearing close and far away at the same time. I couldn't get a sense of balance. Shifting my weight, I tried to right myself and found the sensation to be less like falling through air, and more like trying to swim. I was able to get myself somewhat upright, but my ability to propel myself was limited. I was vaguely aware of the other people, but I was more focused on trying to keep myself oriented.

The colors started dissolving underneath me, stretching like putty. As they cleared away, I could see cement about ten feet below rushing up to meet me.

I landed on my feet and with my hand on the hilt of my blade despite my dizziness. Next to me, Fai and Kurogane follow suit. Syaoran landed on his feet holding the girl. He wobbled for a moment and fell backwards. Fai caught him before he could hit his head.

Fai leaned over them with a worried smile. "It seems traveling to a new world twice in such a short time was too much for him."

I glanced over and saw the boy was out cold, before looking around at the new world. The strip of sky between the skyscrapers and empty office buildings was dark. The closer buildings had flashing neon signs in an array of bright colors. A few of the street lights had burnt out, and we were the only ones on this street.

From the sky, the small white creature fell onto Kurogane's shoulder with a squeak.

"Gah!" Kurogane yelled, flinging the creature off his shoulder. He reminded me of a child that had noticed an unpleasant insect hitching a ride on their clothes.

Mokona laughed and landed on Fai's shoulder.

"Why hello there, Mokona, was it?" Fai asked.

"Mm-hmmm," Mokona replied with a little bounce.

Kurogane's eyebrows rose. "The pork bun can talk!?"

"Mokona is Mokona, not a pork bun!" they cried, leaping back onto Kurogane's shoulder. This time he maintained his composure, glaring at the creature.

I stared at the talking . . . animal? It didn't look like a robot.

Fai tried to get Syaoran and the girl into a more comfortable position but was having trouble due to Syaoran's tight grip around her. Upon hearing Kurogane and Mokona's exchange, he laughed and succeeded in leaning the pair against the wall.

I kept quiet for the exchange, standing off to the side. A mob of people were visible at the end of the street, accompanied by the distant hum of many voices. It was far away and they were only visible as dark silhouettes with the bright shop fronts and street lights behind them, but it still made me tense.

I wasn't distracted for long. A car turned down the street and drove slowly in our direction. My world used to have cars, Nathaniel had shown me a book on old modes of transportation, but they had been replaced by a network of bullet trains and aircraft.

I glared at the car as it slowed. My hand hovered over my hip, where my gun should have been, if I hadn't lost it. I reached for my sword instead. "Heads up," I said quiely. The others looked to see what i was staring at.

Mokona jumped onto my shoulder. I flinched and glanced at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Those are the friends Yuuko sent to help!" Mokona pointed at the car.

The car pulled up to next to us, and despite Mokona's explanation, I was ready to move. However, my apprehension was unnecessary, as a smiling man in his late twenties rolled down the window. He had short dark hair and his expression seemed genuine.

"You wouldn't happen to be the people Yuuko sent, would you?" The man asked as he glanced at Mokona. He eyed our clothes, but didn't mention their variety.

Fai walked to the car. "We are. This one," he pointed to Mokona, "mentioned friends of Yuuko, would that be you?"

"That's us." the man said, stepping out of the car. A woman stepped out of the passenger's side. She had sleek, dark hair that fell bellow her shoulders and a serious, but not unfriendly expression.

The man bowed. "I'm Sorata. And this is my lovely wife, Arashi. We're gonna give you guys a place to stay while you're visiting our world."

"That's very kind of you," Fai said. "Thank you for your hospitality."

Sorata pointed to his car. "So are you guys ready to go?"

"Well, there's one problem." Fai said, stepping aside to gesture to the sleeping pair.

Sorata and Fai tried to figure out how they were going to get the unconscious pair into the car while I stood back to watch them and our surroundings. Kurogane stood a few feet to my right, eyeing the car cautiously.

"What the hell is that thing?" he asked gruffly. Since I was the only one near him, I assumed he was asking me.

"It's a car. It's used for transportation," I said.

"Your world has them?" He asked looking down at me with a raised eyebrow.

"No." I kept my tone neutral, conveying nothing but neutrality. "They used to be a common form of transport, but they eventually became obsolete."

He grunted in response. He was definitely strange. His aggressive demeanor and red eyes were off-putting. Maybe his world was different, that eye color wasn't natural in Elpedite.

Somehow, Fai, Sorata and Arashi maneuvered the unconscious pair into the car and called us over. Everyone climbed into the car, Kurogane a little warily.

Sorata drove while Arashi sat in the passenger seat. I sat in the middle row on the left and Kurogane sat across from me on the right. The sleeping couple occupied the backseat on the left, and Fai, who had Mokona on his shoulder, sat on the right.

"So what are your names?" Sorata asked.

Kurogane spoke up, "Kurogane," he said gruffly.

"I'm Fai D. Fluorite, but you can call me Fai since it's rather long," Fai said.

"I'm Mokona!" Mokona cried.

"Call me Alice," I said as I stared out the window. This world was busy, like Elpedite. There were people everywhere, along with more glowing signs. The sides of the street were dominated by small shops, some giving off smoke and steam. The rest of the city was full of grandly lit arches, and more walkways than streets weaving between the buildings. But there weren't any holograms or hovercraft that I could see. The technology here must have been a few decades behind my own world's at least.

Fai, Sorata and Arashi were holding some conversation, and Kurogane and Mokona would occasionally say something, but I was preoccupied with the passing world and my exhaustion. It felt like I had been running nonstop since the incident in the lab. Not to mention the altercation I had with Adrian. What was I going to do about that? Should I do anything?

If I was knocked into another world, and so had my brother, then it made sense that Adrian, who'd been next to both of us, had been as well. He was drifting somewhere, like me.

Eventually I decided that all I could do was keep an eye out for Nathaniel and Adrian. There wasn't much else to do. The only concrete information I had was that Nathaniel was on some random world.

My eyelids grew heavy, but I didn't let myself sleep. Everyone in this car was a stranger, sleeping now would be asking for trouble.

By the time Sorata parked, we'd stopped in front of an apartment building. Everyone got out, and the others started trying to figure out how to get the boy and girl up the stairs, since the apartment was on the third floor. It was decided that Kurogane would have to carry them. He grumbled and growled, but conveyed them up to the room. Arashi led the way to the room where they had set up several futons. Kurogane quickly set the couple down onto one and walked over to a wall to sit down.

Fai walked over to one of the other futons and collapsed onto it with a sigh as he looked around.

I stepped into the room to look around before turning to Arashi. "Can I clean up somewhere?" I had dust from the explosion plastered to my face, clothes, and injuries. The rain in Yuuko's courtyard had done little to wash it off, instead turning the grime into a sticky paste.

"Of course." She walked down the hall, gesturing for me to follow.

She led me to a bathroom, and I nodded in thanks before stepping in. It was plain compared to my world's facilities, but it would do fine.

A quick check found that there were towels under the sink, so I used them and the mirror to wipe my face and injuries clean. I had a few shallow cuts on my face from debris, scrapped palms from landing on the pavement, and minor bruise on the back of my head from when I'd landed. Overall, not I finished, I returned to the room the others were in. Arashi had passed out towels for us to dry off with, since we were still wet from the downpour in Yuuko's yard.

Sorata peaked into the room with a wave. "Well guys, morning is only a few hours away, so me and Arashi are gonna sleep. I suggest you do the same and we'll have breakfast in the morning."

Fai thanked him while Mokona twirled around, babbling about all the food they would have in the morning.

I walked over to the wall closest to the sliding glass door and sat against it.

"G'night." Sorata waved over his shoulder and slid the door closed, sending the room into shadow.

Fai dried himself off after removing his coat. Mokona was playfully patted with the towel, as he was still on Fai's shoulder. They both laughed and Fai attempted to dry the sleeping boy and girl while Kurogane and I removed our coats. After a while, we all wordlessly settled in to sleep.

The two— three if you include Mokona— strangers fell asleep quickly. I heard their heart beats slow along with their breathing. I, however, wasn't going to fall asleep anytime soon. There were to many things buzzing through my head. Where was my brother? How the hell was I going to travel with these people like I was normal?

Even though I was exhausted and knew there was nothing I could immediately accomplish, I was too on edge to sleep. The situation as just too strange.

I sighed and turned to look at the stars. That's how I spent the night, watching the stars. Nathaniel had told me enough about the constellations in my world to know the ones here were completely different.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

About an hour after the sun rose, I heard our hosts stirring in another part of the house. Then, a few minutes later I heard the clatter of kitchenware and the muffled voices of our hosts.

Kurogane woke up with a sharp intake of breath and stretch. He apparently woke Fai because he stirred as well. Syaoran mumbled in his sleep.

"He finally waking up?" Kurogane asked.

Mokona jumped onto the boy's chest and leaned in close. Fai sat next to the pair and waited for the boy to wake.

"Sa…kura…" Syaoran mumbled, his eyes fluttering open. Mokona was practically sitting on his face, beaming down at him.

"It looks like he's up." Fai smiled at Syaoran as he picked up Mokona.

The boy shot into a sitting position, his eyes glazed with sleep. "Sakura!" His panic dissipated as he looked down at the girl, seeing her safe. Well, as safe as she could be with a heartbeat as weak as hers.

Fai smiled at the boy. "We tried to dry her off, she got pretty wet in the rain."

"Mokona dried too!" Mokona cried.

"Even while you slept, you wouldn't let her go. So you…er..." Fai smiled apologetically.

"Call me Syaoran." He said warmly.

"My name is pretty long. You can just call me Fai," Fai said. He looked over his shoulder, "and… Mr. Black over there. What'll we call you?"

Kurogane was staring at the floor, but at the nickname he snapped to attention with a glare. "I am not 'Mr. Black,' I am Kurogane!"

Mokona then decided, for some reason, to launch himself into the warrior's lap. Kurogane flung his arms up in wordless surprise, sputtering in anger.

"Kurogane, huh?" Fai said mostly to himself, as Kurogane was dealing with Mokona. Fai looked at me, "And you're Alice, right?"

"Yes." I said.

Syaoran looked at me, to put a face to the name, I assumed, before returning his attention to Sakura. Fai's attention also went to her, and suddenly he leaned in and practically hugged Syaoran. Syaoran was caught off-guard, bristling like a startled cat.

Kurogane, having recovered from Mokona's landing, was just as puzzled as Syaoran. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Fai found whatever he'd wanted and sat back, something glowing in his hand. It was a feather, like the one Adrian had in his lab. It glowed, with a spiraling pink symbol in its center. But it couldn't be. How would it have gotten here?

Fai held it out to Syaoran, "Is this what a piece of her memory looks likes?" Syaoran gasped as Fai continued, "It was stuck to you. Only one, though.." He held the feather towards the girl, and there seemed to be some kind of gravitational pull on the thing because it fell towards her chest when it got within a few feet of her. The space in front of the girl's body rippled as the feather disappeared into the broken air.

I found myself frowning again, and wiped the expression from my face. So there were multiple feathers. And they were this girl's memories give form? I ran a hand through my hair and glanced out the window.

Relief broke on Syaoran's face as he pressed his hand to her forehead. "Her body, it's a little warmer."

I listened and found that her heartbeat was stronger and her breathing wasn't as shallow as it had been.

"If you hadn't had that feather, it might have been a problem." Fai said.

"It must have gotten caught on my clothes, by coincidence." Syaoran said, picking at his cloak.

"There is no coincidence in the world," Fai held up a finger, "That's what the witch said, wasn't it? And so my guess is, without thinking, you grabbed it. In order to save the girl." Fai grinned, rubbing the back of his head, "Of course I'm just guessing all this! But my question is how we can find them now? New feathers, that is?"

I was wondering the same. I wanted to keep moving if Nathaniel wasn't here. And similarly, if he was here, how would I know?

Mokona didn't keep Fai waiting.

"Mokona knows! That feather gave out really big waves! So when a feather is close Mokona will feel the big waves! And Mokona will be like—" Mokona paused and their eyes shot open wide and their ears stood up, "—this!"

"Well," Fai said, "it looks like we have a way. If we get close, Mokona will let us know."

Syaoran sat up straighter. "Would you do that? Tell us when we're near a feather?"

Mokona snapped a salute. "Leave that to me!"

The tension eased from Syaoran's shoulders. "Thank you."

I decided it was time for me to ask my questions, and hopefully move things along. "Mokona, can you find people as well as magic feathers?"

Mokona jumped in my direction I caught them in my hand out of reflex.

"Wow, the silent brat speaks," Kurogane growled. I flicked a glance at him, them looked back to Mokona.

I could see Fai and Syaoran looking at me curiously as well. I ignored the warrior's comment, but I understood their curiosity. I hadn't said much during our time together.

Mokona put a paw to his mouth. "Mokona might…Names are powerful, so if Alice can tell Mokona their name that might work. But Mokona might need something more. Something that belong's to Alice's brother. Something that makes him, him."

My first instinct was to refuse, but these people weren't from my world. Knowing who Nathaniel was wouldn't mean anything to them. But something that belonged to my brother . . . I didn't have anything of his. Except . . .

"His name is Nathaniel Velafied, my brother." I said. "Would DNA work?"

Mokona sat quietly for a second. "Yep!"

I half drew my sword and nicked my finger on it. A blue alert flahed in my vision. It was The System's display, informing me of a minor skin abrasion on my finger with an estimated healing time of six hours. I dismissed it and cleared my vision.

I held out my hand to Mokona, unsure of what to suspect. A droplet lifted from my finger tip, and flew into the jewel on Mokona's forehead. There was a flash of light and it was gone.

Mokona's puzzled expression vanished. "Got it!"

"Is he here?" I asked, reminding myself that the chances of him falling into this world were extremely low. From what Yuuko said, there were hundreds, or thousands, of different worlds.

"No," Mokona said sadly. "Sorry."

"That's fine," I said. "Thank you for the help." It wasn't Mokona's fault. The news however, did frustrate me.

"Search or don't search," Kurogane said, glancing at me and Syaoran. "It's got nothing to do with me. I'm here to get back to my own world. That's the only reason I'm here. Don't expect me to stick my neck out for you or to help you. I won't do it."

"I didn't expect help," I said, a small amount of irritation seeping into my tone. I corrected it a second later, returning to a neutral tone. "I can search for my brother myself. However, I need to find him soon, so I'll be doing whatever it takes to keep us moving. Right now, I believe we won't be leaving until Syaoran can find the feather, so I'll help find it."

Syaoran gave me an appreciative and apologetic glance before turning to Kurogane. "Right, the feathers are _my_ mission here. I'll do my best not to cause any trouble."

Kurogane looked bewildered by Syaoran's even response.

Fai laughed. "Syaoran, you're so serious."

Kurogane glared Fai. "Well, what about you?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you going to help the kid out, too?" Kurogane demanded.

"Hmmm." Fai rested his head in his hand. "I suppose so. My most important mission is to not return to my world, so if it doesn't threaten my life, sure, I'll help out. I've got nothing better to do."

Fai gave Syaoran a smile and Syaoran returned it gratefully.

Suddenly our hosts burst into the room, ushering us into the dining room. "Hope you all slept well!" Sorata, gestured to the food they had prepared. "Go ahead and take what you'd like, there's plenty."

Syaoran hung back in the room with Arashi to set Sakura up in a futon. He came out after a minute of convincing from Arashi that she would be fine.

I grabbed a plate, and shoveled what looked like scrambled eggs and a few slices of bacon onto it. I ate my food and set the plate into the sink before anyone else was done. An alert flashed in my vision, displaying a list of the nutrients and quantity I'd consumed. I dismissed it. When the others finished, Sorata set aside his plate and stood.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your lucky day." He said, ushering us back into the room we'd slept in.

"Umm," Fai said, "In what way?"

"Mokona has no idea which world is next right?" Sorata said. "So, it's happy chance that brought you to this world first. Because this is the Hanshin Republic!" He drew the sliding door's curtain open to reveal a bustling downtown full of people, stores, and dazzling colors.

After his big reveal, Sorata drew out a puppet of himself and began describing the Hanshin Republic. He explained the country's weather, currency, sports and mascot. I watched from the back of the room but paid little attention and Sorata rattled through his presentation.

Fai put his hand up when Sorata paused for breath. "Sir! I have a question!"

Sorata's puppet pointed enthusiastically at Fai. "Yes? Fai-kun?"

Fai asked something about Sorata's accent, which sparked a conversation about old languages that I quickly lost interest in. Syaoran however, seemed intrigued by the discussion. A light gleamed in his eyes and his hand gestures became more animated more as he spoke.

I leaned against the back wall with my arms crossed, next to where Kurogane sat. I was looking out the window, studying the city. Kurogane, however, was asleep.

"You!" Sorata yelled and I glanced up. "Wake up!"

Sorata pointed his puppet at Kurogane and a loud bang filled the room as Kurogane's head snapped forward.

Syaoran dived to cover Sakura. Fai spun to look at Kurogane as the man leapt to his feet.

I immediately pushed off from the wall, my hand on my sword, my eyes flicking around the room. The System scanned the room, and aside from its obvious occupants, found nothing.

"What was that?" Kurogane barked, clutching the back of his head and looking around. "I didn't feel an enemy! Who did that?" He spun on Sorata. "Bastard! You threw something didn't you?"

Fai frowned. "You were in a corner. If he threw anything, it wouldn't hit you there. It had to come from above."

Sorata stared at us, bewildered. "What? It was my kudan, what else?"

"Kudan?" the others asked. I kept silent but frowned.

Sorata blinked. "You don't know?" He smacked his forehead. "Of course you don't. You all come from different worlds!"

I released my sword and returned to my position leaning against the wall. Sorata pulled out a marker, turning to the whiteboard behind him. "Everyone in this world has a kudan attached. Here's how it's written." Sorata wrote some scribbles on his board and I eyed them in confusion.

"I see." Kurogane said.

"I don't see at all!" Fai laughed.

"I don't understand either," I said.

"Mokona can read!" Mokona cried.

Fai patted him on the head. "That's really great Mokona!"

Mokona looked at Syaoran. "Can Syaoran read?"

"Yeah." Syaoran nodded. "More or less."

Sorata nodded thoughtfully. "Kurogane and Syaoran's worlds use kanji, but Fai and Alice's probably don't. But you understand what I say, and I understand you."

Kurogane interrupted Sorata's pondering, "Now what kind of technique is this kudan? And you used the word… attached."

Arashi had been standing quietly next to her husband, but now spoke up. "Even if you come from another world, once you entered this one, a kudan will be attached."

Sorata's explanation of kudan seemed vague, but from what I could gather it was some sort of force. And every single person on this world had one, something that I had no idea how to defend against or how it worked.

Wonderful.

Arashi walked over to Sakura and knelt down. "Would you mind if I call her Sakura-san?"

"That's fine." Syaoran said.

Arashi looked thoughtfully at her. "I cannot say where Sakura-san's memory went. However, if someone has picked it up, it will be the cause of a fight."

Syaoran stared at her in surprise, but before he could ask anything she turned to Kurogane and Fai. "You've lost your method of battle." It wasn't a question.

Fai and Kurogane looked wary of her mysterious knowledge.

"How did you know?" Fai asked.

Sorata chimed in. "My honey used to be a miko. Well, she's retired since she married me. Her beauty when she was dressed as a miko was a god-send!"

Sorata, apparently overwhelmed by the mental image, began mumbling to his puppet, red faced.

"Actually," Fai said, "I gave my magic power to the Dimension Witch."

"And I handed my sword to the bitch!" Kurogane snarled.

Arashi looked at me with a puzzled expression. "I can't see much about you…"

"I'm fine," I said, pushing aside my jacket to reveal the hilt of my sword.

"Yeah," Kurogane scoffed. "The brat got to keep her sword and give up some jewelry."

I thought about reminding him that they were both just hunks of metal, but instead focused on Arashi. I didn't want to start a fight with someone I could be stuck with for any length of time. If that meant putting up with occasional jibes, then that would be easy.

Arashi looked at Syaoran, waiting for his explanation.

"It wasn't any sort of power that I gave her," Syaoran said and glanced Sakura. "I never had magic or weapons or anything like that."

"That may have been your good luck." She said.

Syaoran frowned in confusion. "Eh?"

"There are kudan in this world. When it comes time to fight, the kudan should be able to help."

"Then this 'kudan' was originally meant for battle?" Syaoran asked.

"What you use it for," Sorata explained, "is all up to you. One look can answer a hundred questions. If you want to see what your kudan is, the only thing to do is see it with your own eyes." He nodded to his puppet, "Now, I've explained everything to know about this country."

"He did?" Kurogane muttered under his breath.

Syaoran looked at Mokona, "Well, what do you think? Do you think that Sakura-chan would have a feather on this world?"

Mokona closed his eyes, "Yep! It is still a long, long way away, but... this country has one." Mokona beamed as his eyes flew open. Syaoran grinned and I saw a determined light in his eyes.

"Shall we find this feather of yours?" Sorata asked.

"Yes!" Syaoran said firmly and stood up.

Sorata rose from his seat. "Right. While you're on this world, I'll vouch for you. I owe Yuuko-san a favor." He looked at Arashi lovingly and took her hand. She blushed, gazing back at him.

"This is our apartment building," Sorata said. "Feel free to use it until you're ready to move onto the next world."

Syaoran bowed, "Thank you very much."

Sorata and Arashi set everyone up with clothes more appropriate for this world. When everyone changed, we met outside to discuss the best way to go about searching.

I had black jeans and a long-sleeved white shirt, none of the flowing designs or monochrome that were standard for Elpedite. I'd kept my boots and sword but left my coat and gloves, which were eccentric for this world, according to Sorata. The others had clothes of similar design.

"All right," Sorata said once we gathered outside. "You have to search for Sakura's feather someplace! So get out into the neighborhood and see!"

"Fine," Syaoran said.

I offered a nod. I was getting impatient. The sooner we started looking, the sooner we could find the thing.

"Oh no," Sorata cried when saw his watch. "It's almost time for my lesson to start! If you walk around, I think you'll figure out what this kudan talk is about."

Kurogane glanced over at Mokona, who was on Fai's shoulder. "Is the white thing coming along too?"

Mokona leapt at Kurogane with a giggle. "Mokona isn't a white thing! Mokona is Mokona!"

Kurogane glared at Mokona as he landed on his shoulder, but didn't push them off.

Fai leaned over to Mokona, "If Mokona is a white thing, then this guy here is black thing, right?"

Kurogane transferred his glare to Fai.

Sorata spoke, reclaiming my, and Syaoran's, attention. "You have to take Mokona, or you'll pass right by the feather and never know. Don't worry. Nobody will give Mokona a second thought."

"Why's that?" Syaoran asked.

Sorata waved his hand. "What I mean is this world is used to weird sights. Now," He fished a frog-shaped wallet out of his pocket, "take this. There's enough for lunch in there, so the four of you should take your time and make friends."

Kurogane glowered at Syaoran, "Why's he giving it to the kid?"

Sorata grinned, giving him a thumbs up. "Cause he's the one who looks the most trustworthy."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kurogane snarled. Fai and Mokona snickered at his anger, but Syaoran looked sheepish. I couldn't argue with Sorata's assessment. Kurogane was too gruff and Fai was too smiley. And my constant silence probably didn't give off very friendly vibes.

Sorata waved goodbye and ran to catch his train. As he disappeared into the crowd, I looked around at the tall buildings and sea of people.

Finding this feather wasn't going to be easy.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This is the updated version of Ch.2

* * *

Syaoran picked a direction and we started walking. Well, everyone except Mokona, who was riding on Syaoran's head. The sight of the crowded street felt like a physical shove trying to turn me around. I had to remind myself that no one would recognize me here before heading after the others.

But I did activate the System to start scanning for Adrian's face in the crowd. I didn't want him surprising me, and if I was going to face him, I'd need every advantage I could get.

The buildings had an array of bright paper advertisements, flashing signs and stretched far above us. It vaguely reminded me of my world, but the buildings in Elpedite were higher and had fewer colors.

"This sure is a busy place!" Fai said as he looked around.

"People all over the place!" Mokona said.

Fai turned to Syaoran. "Syaoran-kun, have you ever seen this kind of thing?"

Syaoran was staring up and around in awe. "No. Never."

Fai looked over his shoulder at Kurogane. "Kuro-tan, how about you?"

"No. And why do you have to call me by weirder and weirder names?" Kurogane snapped.

Fai laughed and slowed his walk to fall back next to me.

"What about you Alice-san?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said warily, "this place is pretty similar to my world. But in my world there's more people in the cities and the buildings are taller. This place is about a hundred years behind technology-wise too."

"Wow," he said. "So this is pretty normal for you?"

I glanced around the crowd. "For the most part." The huge city and flood of people was normal for Elpedite. What was different was I usually wasn't part of it.

Two school girls passed by, staring and giggling at Mokona. Kurogane smirked. "It's you they're laughing at."

"Mokona has many girlfriends!" Mokona blushed.

Kurogane's smirk vanished. "They aren't girlfriends."

"Come in, come in!" a vendor cried, interrupting Mokona and Kurogane. Fai and Syaoran wandered over to the stall, which looked like it was selling fruit. Kurogane and I followed them over, but I stopped a few feet away from the stand. Putting my back to the crowd completely wasn't something I wanted to do. Even if Adrian wasn't here, I had no idea what the crime rate in the city was like.

"Come in gentlemen. You wanna buy an apple from me?" the vendor asked, seeing he had Syaoran and Fai's attention. He held out a red fruit to Syaoran, who stared at it in confusion.

"That… is an apple?" he asked.

The vendor gave him a puzzled look. "If it isn't, I have no idea what is."

Fai looked at the fruit and asked Syaoran, "So it didn't look like that on your world?"

Syaoran shook his head. "The shape is the same, but in my world the color is a pale yellow."

Kurogane stepped over to look at the fruit. "Isn't that called a pear?"

Syaoran shook his head again. "No. A pear is redder and has leaves coming out of the top."

"No," Fai said, "that's a raki seed isn't it?"

I listened to the exchanged from the back, vaguely paying attention. I kept my gaze on the crowd, trying to appear relaxed. The idea of Adrian in the crowd was scratching at the back of my mind.

Eventually the vendor lost his patience and frowned. "Do you want it or not?"

The three fell into silence but Mokona cried, "Want it!"

That seemed to decide things, so Syaoran bought five 'apples' or whatever they were, and passed them out as we walked to the side of the walkway that was actually a small bridge. I leaned against the stone wall that served as the bridge's guardrail as I ate my apple.

"These apples are pretty good, huh?" Fai asked.

"Yes," Syaoran said as he took a bite.

Fai turned and leaned against the short wall. "But it really is true the four of us come from completely different cultures." He blinked. "Come to think of it, I never asked… how did you get to the shop of the Dimension Witch, Syaoran-kun?"

"There's a high priest in my land. He sent me."

"That's impressive," Fai said. "It's hard enough to send one person across dimensions, but he sent two." Fai grinned at Kurogane. "How about you, Kuro-rin?"

Kurogane glared at the cement. "The princess of my country sent me away by force."

Fai poked his arm. "You did something bad and she did it to scold you!"

Mokona started poking Kurogane as well, like it was a game.

"Will you all shut up!" he snapped. "What about you. Who sent you?"

"Me? No one. I sent myself."

"Then you didn't have to ask the woman for anything! You could have done this yourself!" Kurogane snarled, pointing a finger at Fai.

Fai laughed. "Not even close. Were I to muster all of my magical abilities, just getting myself from one dimension to the next would take everything I can do." His smile faded as his gaze became distant. "The one who sent Syaoran-kun and the one who sent you, Kuro-chin, are people with a lot of magic power. I'll bet it took all they had. I imagine anyone has the power to send someone to another world only once. It would take going to a lot of worlds to be able to collect all of Sakura-chan's feathers. And I think the only one who can send someone to many worlds is the Dimension Witch."

"The lady from the courtyard, Yuuko," I asked. "She's the Dimension Witch you're talking about, right?"

"Yes, that right," Fai nodded. "So how did you find her if you didn't know who she was? How did you get to that world?"

I stared off into space and thought carefully, "I'm not sure…." I felt my mind grow fuzzy, and I frowned. "In my world, magic doesn't exist. There is— was— no concept of it. But then someone discovered magic. I knew the man who found it, but I never got a good look at whatever the magic was." I kept my explanation carefully vague. "I was near him when he tried to use it. There was an explosion and when I got up, I was in Yuuko's world. My brother was near me when the explosion happened and I saw him get thrown by the same blast that hit me, so I can only assume he's in another world, too."

"But you said your world had no magic, so how did you hear of, and know to go to, Yuuko?" Fai asked.

"I . . . " I tensed. I combed back through the time between the explosion and finding Yuuko. I had gotten to her world and then I was running to find her courtyard. There was something wrong. A missing step in-between arriving and knowing where to go. I fixed on the question, but even as my panic grew, the realization faded until I was left wondering why my heartbeat was elevated.

I frowned. "What did you ask?"

His smile faltered. "I asked…" He said something, but the question slipped away. I found my hand was clenched into a fist, and I glanced down at it in puzzlement.

"What are we talking about?" I relaxed my hand and rubbed the bridge of my nose.

Fai's smile disappeared for a moment and surprised replaced it. But his smile was back just as quickly. "We were talking about your world. You said magic didn't exist there."

"Oh." I nodded, my frown and headache disappearing. "Right."

"Hey what's—" Kurogane glared at me, but Fai playfully elbowed him in the side.

"Best not to ask her again Kuro-puu!" Fai said.

Kurogane glared, but didn't say anything else as Fai returned his attention to me. "Alice-san, if you don't mind me asking I have a question?"

Syaoran was staring at me in confusion. So was Kurogane, though it was masked with irritation. Even Mokona looked puzzled. I assumed they must be confused about my world not having magic, so I let Fai move the conversation along. "Depends on the question," I said.

Fai nodded. "Of course. I was going to ask about your eyes. When you first saw us, there was blue light flickering across them, and a few times now as we've been walking in the crowd. I assumed it was magic, but now that you've said your world doesn't have any…" He let his unspoken question hang and waited patiently.

"So I wasn't the only one who saw it," Kurogane said.

"Huh?" Syaoran asked, looking between me and the other two.

I carefully considered what to tell them. Telling the truth would keep our travels civil and there was no benefit to lying to them, so I decided it would be best to explain it thoroughly. "What you saw in my eyes was a scientific achievement from my world. It's a collection of machines that have been surgically implanted in my body to advance different things. In my eyes…" I looked at Syaoran and ran a basic facial analysis, "you see my display lenses. They can display information on whatever I'm focusing on and sharpen my vision."

Syaoran's eyes widened as, from his point of view, blue light briefly flickered across my pupils and irises. In my vision, I saw Syaoran's face highlighted in blue as the scan labeled his basic facial features. If I were running a more complex scan or another function, numbers, angles, or paragraphs could be displayed in my vision. "I don't only have lenses though," I continued. "I also have advanced hearing, healing, reaction time, and strength. All of it has been surgically implanted, and I could run down the specifics, but most of it would probably go over your heads. To summarize it I have a system of wires and other, very small, pieces of machinery in my body. All of this runs off of sunlight absorbed through my skin— solar power. As a whole it's called the Advanced Limb Interface Control Engine, but I call it the 'System' for short. It can perform other, more specific, tasks, but those are the basics."

I crossed my arms when I was finished and waited quietly to see how they would react. They all seemed to need a minute to absorb the information.

Syaoran was the first to react. "That's amazing! Is that common where you come from?"

"No."

"Super powers!" Mokona giggled.

Kurogane narrowed his eyes. "Why do have all of that? How old are you?"

"I'm seventeen," I said calmly, "and I won't be answering that other question."

"Why the hell not?" He glared at me.

"You'll find there's going to be a few things I'm not going to discuss." I sighed and glanced over at them all. "But I won't lie to you, I can promise that."

Kurogane didn't look satisfied, but I had my own questions, and I wanted them answered. "Fai, I have a few questions on magic. If you got yourself to Yuuko's shop, you must be familiar with it. Would you be able to answer them for me?"

Fai leaned back against the stone wall. "Okay, but magic is rather complex. I might not be able to answer some of your questions."

I nodded. "That's fine. What is magic?"

Fai laughed, not unkindly. "Sorry, Alice-san, but magic is hard to simplify. If you watch closely, you'll probably start understanding soon, but there are many different kinds of magic, used for many different things. You might just have to wait and see."

"All right…" I sighed, "Next question then: would I be able to use magic?" I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to, but it would probably be useful if I could.

Fai put a hand over his mouth thoughtfully. "Hmm… probably not. From what you said about your world not having magic, and about that explosion when that man tried to use it, I'd say you wouldn't react well with it."

"Okay." I nodded. "Last question: how can I defend against magic?" This was the most important question.

Kurogane broke in with a barking laugh. "Well, if you can't use magic then you should get the hell out of the way if it's aimed at you."

Fai shrugged. "Can't argue with that."

I nodded. "All right."

I saw a flicker of movement over Fai's shoulder and leaned over the wall to get a better view.

There was a group of uniformed people standing on a roof across the street by the river. They all wore goggles and grey scarves that waved in the wind. Fai, Kurogane and Syaoran turned to see what I'd been looking at. Some of the people near us stopped walking and pointed up at the men on the roof top.

As more people spotted the group, the crowd began muttering restlessly and the murmurs rose into a distressed hum. I grimaced and shifted my weight to the front of my feet. Most of the crowd around us began to run away from the building the group was standing on, but there were several people moving against the flow. They all wore similar denim jumpsuits, caps and aggravated expressions.

Seeing the opposing 'teams,' as I guessed they were, I realized that this was probably some kind of gang war.

The men on the ground drew together, facing the building, and one of them yelled up to the gang on the roof. "This neighborhood is our's, Shougo! Get out of here before we kick your asses!"

One of the men on the roof was taller than the others, had a long ponytail and an arrogant air about him. He silently turned his hand into a thumbs down gesture and smirked at the group on the street.

I put my hand on the hilt of my sword and readied myself to move. I could see Kurogane tense out of the corner of my eye. Syaoran just seemed confused, and Fai... Well...

"They're cool!" he said, putting a hand up to shield his eyes.

The men on the street shuffled nervously. "That bastard has a special kudan," one of them said as they glared at the ponytail man on the roof, "but he's too damn arrogant, we can take him!"

I heard Syaoran hiss in a breath and looked over to see he had a hand on his chest, and was staring at it in concern. But I was distracted as all the men, with the exception of ponytail man, leapt off the roof and down to the street. This seemed to break the rising tension and when the men landed, both sides set their feet and extended their arms.

I was expecting guns or maybe explosives. What I wasn't expecting was the multitude of creatures that appeared on each man's arm. They ranged from amphibious to mammalian and wore a wide array of colors. One resembled a lizard with bright blue scales and orange feathers trailing down it's back and into a tail that curled around it's welder's arm. Another was a tiny, furry ball with a huge eye for it's face and spindly, bat-like wings. As soon as the creatures appeared they began firing beams of energy at the opposing gang. Luckily, our group was far enough away from the fight that we didn't have to be too concerned.

I relaxed, and so had the crowd apparently. They had stopped running and were all yelling at the gang members.

"So that's a kudan?" Kurogane asked as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

Fai laughed. "I think I've figured out why no one was surprised by Mokona."

I frowned as I came to terms with the sudden appearance of the kudan that were breaking scientific laws I'd known all my life. But after glowing feathers and traveling worlds, it wasn't that hard to accept.

The fight had become more intense and the beams started to miss their marks and hit the surrounding buildings. Glass and pieces of the buildings began raining down onto the street. Most of the crowd took this as their cue to evacuate.

One of the kudan broke away from the chaos below and leapt towards the man on the roof. The man seemed unimpressed as the humanoid kudan approached. He smirked and put a hand to his chest. Water crashed into being, radiating from the man's heart and swirling up and around him. The water spiraled violently against gravity and flowed up into the air. The wind from it pulled at the man's hair and scarf but his expression remained confident. The water above him changed shape and flowed to form an enormous kudan above him. It looked like a stingray and was made entirely of water with a long tail sweeping out behind it.

The kudan whipped its tail at the assailant, causing a tsunami to roar into being around the man and overwhelm the approaching kudan. But the tsunami didn't stop there. It poured off the rooftop and onto the street full of retreating people. We we're far enough away that the water didn't reach us. The crowd across the street that had been trying to flee, however, were not as lucky. They were knocked off of their feet by the rushing water, which swept past them and slammed into the building behind them. The force of the impact knocked loose a sign that had been bolted to the building.

Two boys who had been knocked off their feet lay directly below it as it rattled and broke away from its holding. Syaoran shoot past me, sprinting toward them.

"Watch out!" he yelled. One of the boys tried to help the other to his feet, but there wasn't any time. The sign was in free fall now and would crush them in moments.

Syaoran got to the boys and threw himself over them, trying to shield them from the impact. I was sure Syaoran was dead, along with the boys, but a second before the sign would have made impact, fire exploded into being above and around Syaoran. It burned the sign into ash almost instantly, but didn't touch Syaoran or the boys.

I lost my composure for a moment. "What the hell...?"

The fire turned the remaining water in the street into steam, making the air foggy around Syaoran and the children. The System sharpened my vision, letting me see through the clearing mist. Syaoran got to his feet, and I thought for a moment that he was on fire. There was a creature that I assumed must be a kudan standing next to him. It looked like a flaming wolf with a single gold horn curving from its forehead and stood almost as tall as Syaoran, and despite it being made of fire, it didn't burn him.

"You seem to have a special kudan, don't you?" said the man on the roof. His stingray kudan drifted closer to him. "A kudan that can wield fire." The man gestured up to the giant stingray. "Mine works water. This will be interesting!"

The man's kudan opened its mouth and a jet of water shot directly at Syaoran and the boys. Syaoran stood firm and opened his arms wide, shielding them. Before the water could touch them, fire once again roared into life around them. The jet of water met the wall of flame and hissed as it was boiled off onto steam.

The man on the roof crossed his arms. "I'm Shougo Asagi. You?" His tone was casual, like he hadn't almost killed Syaoran and the boys, twice.

Syaoran glared up at him. "Syaoran."

Shougo grinned. "I like your style."

One of the men from Shougo's group yelled, "Shougo, the cops!"

Men in uniform were pushing their way through the crowd and towards the gang members.

The man on the roof sighed. "And it was just getting good." He threw a fist into the air. "Come on, ya bastards! Let's get outta here!"

The men in the street whooped and hollered as they leapt onto roof tops and ran into alleys, disappearing into the city as the police sprinted after them.

"Next time we meet, we'll have some real fun!" Shougo yelled over his shoulder before running after his men.

Seeing that the danger had passed, Kurogane, Fai and I walked over to join Syaoran and the two boys he'd saved. I warily eyed the flaming wolf that still stood by Syaoran, but it quickly curled into a small ball of fire and vanished into his chest. Syaoran looked baffled and cautiously put a hand on the spot his flaming companion had vanished into. "It... went inside me."

"That was amazing!" Fai said. "Syaoran-kun, did that come from you?"

Kurogane crossed his arms. "That's a kudan, huh?"

Syaoran still had a hand on his chest but was regaining his composure. "I'm not sure, but my heart got very hot."

"Well..." I said, shoving my hands in my pockets, "It was made of fire."

One of the boys Syaoran had rescued got to his feet. Now that things had calmed down, I got a better look at the kids. The boy that had stood up had black hair, a plain but friendly face, and wore a black uniform. His friend looked similar to him—they could have been siblings—but he wore a robe and an odd hat. They were probably twelve years old, maybe thirteen.

"Are you all right?" Syaoran asked the boy in the uniform.

The boy nodded and wiped a tear from his face, offering a shaky smile.

Syaoran looked at the other boy. "And you, you're okay, too?"

The boy in the robe bowed and vanished. Syaoran and Kurogane started at the boy's sudden disappearance. "He disappeared!" Syaoran blurted, staring at the remaining boy.

"Oh!" Fai said and smacked his fist into his hand. "That kid was a kudan."

Kurogane grimaced. "It looks like they can be anything."

Fai looked around. "Now where can our 'almost kudan' have gotten off to?"

Fai was right: Mokona was absent from our group. I set the System to scan for Mokona's characteristics as I craned my neck to look around. Losing Mokona, the one creature that could find feathers, would be a major setback.

"Mokona!" Syaoran cried, his head whipping around.

Kurogane glanced around. "Ahhh!" he growled and scratched the back of his head. "It probably got stepped on."

"Look~" Fai pointed of towards a group of girls. "The truth is quite different."

"Mokona is popular with the ladies!" Mokona cried as the group of girls cooed and fawned over him.

Fai and Syaoran politely rescued Mokona from his admirers, much to the girls' dismay. They pouted and waved goodbye to Mokona as he returned to his perch on Syaoran's head.

"Mokona, where were you?" Fai asked.

"On top of Kurogane. But then Mokona fell off," he explained, hopping up and down. "But just earlier Mokona went just like this!" Mokona's eyes went wide, his signal for a nearby feather.

"You mean that Sakura's feather is somewhere nearby?" Syaoran asked.

"It was, but Mokona doesn't feel it anymore."

"Who had it?" I asked. I wanted to keep moving, and finding the feather was already taking longer than I'd hoped.

Mokona shook his head. "Don't know."

"I see," Syaoran said, his shoulders sagging.

Fai crossed his arms. "Even if we limit it to the people who were here, it'll still be a long search. There were lots of people."

"Still, we now know that someone close by has it. That's progress," Syaoran said, then looked to Mokona. "If you sense anything more, let us know."

Mokona pushed up onto his toes and thumped a paw to his chest. "Yes! Mokona will go all out!"

Fai grinned and poked Kurogane. "But if Kuro-chi never dropped Mokona, this wouldn't have happened."

Kurogane pushed his arm away. "What makes this my fault? And will you stop calling me those names?"

The kid Syaoran had saved was still hanging around, eyeing his rescuer nervously from the edge of our group. I eyed him up and down, using the System and found he had no injuries, which meant he had no obvious excuse for sticking around. He glanced at me and we locked eyes for a moment.

"What do you want, kid?" I asked.

The boy started and his face reddened slightly. "I just wanted to thank him," the boy bowed to Syaoran, "properly. My name is Masayoshi Saito."

Syaoran waved his arms in protest. "No, we really didn't do anything..."

Masayoshi stuttered. "But... But..."

"Mokona wants lunch!" Mokona cried, "Something really good!"

"Okay!" Masayoshi beamed.

No one had argued with Mokona, and despite my frustration I couldn't think of anything else to do to try and find the feather. So I kept quiet and followed everyone and Masayoshi to the restaurant. He took us to what I assumed was a mall, though I'd never been to one, and this world was pretty different from mine. The walkway was lined with vibrant shops with colorful clothes and spinning toys on display. Pillars lined the center of the walkway and rose up to support the curved ceiling two stories above.

The shop Masayoshi led us to had warmer, more muted colors than most of the others. Instead of panes of glass in the front, it had wooden and paper screens. Inside smoke clouded the air, making the upper half of the restaurant hazy. We all sat at a dark wooden table that had a grill running down the center. There was... something grilling on it.

"What is..." Syaoran started. It seemed no one knew what it was.

"Um," Masayoshi said as he fidgeted. "Y'see okonomiyaki is my favorite dish, so..."

Fai pointed to the grilling food. "Okonomiyaki? Is that what this is called?"

Kurogane was staring intensely at his food, leaning over it to get a more direct view. I glanced away from our table every so often and to the crowd passing by the restaurant. Our table was several feet away from the paper screens that served at the restaurant's windows. Since it was dimmer in here than out in the mall, we could see out without difficulty, but anyone on the other side would have a harder time seeing in. This made me feel a little better, but I didn't want to get to relaxed.

"Okonomiyaki is a staple of the diet in the Hanshin Republic," Masayoshi said. "If you don't know, then that must mean you come from outside the country?"

"Outside? You could say that," Fai said. The boy looked curious, but Fai smoothly changed the topic. "Do those people always run roughshod around this district?"

Masayoshi frowned and looked down at his hands. "That was a fight for dominance. They form into teams and fight to see whose kudan is the strongest."

Fai nodded. "And the strongest claims the rights to the territory?"

Syaoran frowned and his brow furrowed as he stared down at his food. "But think of the lives they put in danger when they fight in such a public place."

Fai nodded. "That's true, huh?"

Masayoshi perked up. "There... there are bad teams, but there are good teams too! They patrol their territory making sure no bad kids cause trouble. And if bad people are around, they take care of the problem."

"Like a local militia." Syaoran said.

"What about those two teams before?" Fai asked.

Masayoshi lit up. "The ones in caps were the bad ones! But the ones in goggles aren't like them at all! When they battle other teams, some of the surrounding buildings get damaged, so the adults are afraid of them, but they wouldn't do anything else that's bad! They're really cool!" Masayoshi stood up in excitement. "Especially their leader, Shougo-san! They say his kudan is a special level. It's so big and strong, everyone wishes they had a kudan just like it."

Masayoshi paused, and his face reddened as he dropped back into his seat. I guessed he hadn't noticed how loud he'd been talking. "I... I'm sorry," he mumbled.

I raised an eyebrow. "Masayoshi, you realize this man could have killed you if Syaoran hadn't jumped in?"

"B-but Shougo didn't mean to. He's really nice and cool most of the time," Masayoshi said.

I sighed and returned to watching the crowd. I didn't feel like arguing about this, and frankly I didn't care enough, so I rested my chin in my hand and let the conversation continue without me.

"So you wish you had a friend like him, huh?" Fai asked.

Masayoshi nodded enthusiastically. "I sure do!" He turned to Syaoran. "But I'd also like a friend like Syaoran-kun."

"Eh?" Syaoran asked.

Masayoshi smiled. "Anybody with a special level kudan is just amazing!"

"So what is that? Special level?" Syaoran asked.

"It's an especially high level for kudan. The fourth level kudan is the lowest. And moving up there's the third level, second level, first level, and at the very top is the special level," Masayoshi explained. "Years ago, all the countries got together and banned the use of levels on kudan, but normal people still use the system."

"Then that leader's kudan must be very strong," Fai said.

"Yeah." Masayoshi nodded. "So is Syaoran-kun's. To get a strong kudan, especially a special-level kudan, you need to be a strong person yourself, or they won't stay. It's a person's heart that controls a kudan. So if a person can command a strong kudan, that's proof that the person is strong. Who wouldn't want a friend like that?" Masayoshi hesitated as his smile fell and he hung his head. "My kudan is fourth level, the very bottom."

"Masayoshi-kun," Syaoran said, unsure how to console the boy.

Kurogane, who had been staring at his Okonomiyaki for the entire conversation, pick up a spatula and began scraping at the grilling food.

Fai looked at Syaoran. "But when did Syaoran-kun's kudan join up with him?"

Syaoran blinked. "Now that you mention it, I had an odd dream last night."

"Stop right there!" a voice boomed, startling everyone at the table.

The shout caused Kurogane, who was sitting on my right, to jerk his arm up in surprise and nearly decapitate me with his spatula. I ducked and threw him a sideways glare, but Kurogane didn't see it. He was frozen with his arm high above his head, staring at the man who had shouted. Everyone else at the table had jumped in surprise, except Fai. He hadn't even flinched.

I glared over at the man who had yelled. He had black hair and a stern face and wore an apron and gloves. Another man stood behind him with a much kinder expression than his friend, glasses, and blond hair. He wore an apron and a bandana on his head.

"Your Majesty!" Syaoran cried. I frowned and glanced between Syaoran and the man, who was very obviously a waiter, in confusion. "Y-your majesty, what brings you here?"

The man's expression went from annoyed, to annoyed and confused. "You got the wrong guy. 'Your Majesty' is nowhere in my name."

"What?" Syaoran asked.

The waiter ignored Syaoran and gave Kurogane a scolding look. "And mister, we do the flipping here. If you'd just leave it and wait, we'll be right here."

Kurogane unfroze and actually looked embarrassed. "Yes sir!"

It surprised me. This was the first time I'd seen him display anything approaching respect. Maybe his tough guy attitude was act to an extent? His somewhat childish behavior and this unexpected respect seemed to imply it. Or maybe he was just so unfamiliar with someone acting superior to him, he was startled into compliance.

The waiters walked away to attend to another table and our conversation resumed. "Majesty," Fai said as he turned to glance behind him at the waiters. "Was he a king in your world?"

"Yes," Syaoran said, his gaze locked on the waiters, "and the man with him was the high priest."

Mokona poked fun at Kurogane for being 'yelled at,' and Kurogane's usual irritation returned.

Fai turned back to face the table. "It's just like the Dimension Witch said. 'People you've met on your world . . . They've developed under completely different conditions on other worlds."

Kurogane ignored Mokona's harassment. "You're saying that they're the same as the king and high priest of the kid's world?"

Fai tilted his head. "They're the same, but not the same. The two from Syaoran's world lived a completely different life than these two. But when it comes down to it, at the very basic level, they're the same."

My thoughts drifted as I pondered the possibilities of this. What would happen if I met someone who looked like my brother? I would have to make sure he was my Nathaniel before running off with him. What about Adrian? Should I kill him to be sure and risk him not being the Adrian of my world? Actually, if I spotted the real Adrian, he would have likely already spotted me and considering how we had left off, he would probably try to kill me on sight.

What if I met another me?

I pulled myself out of my thoughts as Kurogane asked, "Basic level?"

Fai held up his hands and made a heart shape. "The very root of their lives. Their nature... their hearts."

"Soul," Kurogane said. "That's what you're saying right?"

Fai nodded and shortly after that, our waiters returned to serve the okonomiyaki, silencing the conversation as everyone began eating. I finished my serving in a few minutes, and glanced over to see Mokona grabbing Kurogane's Okonomiyaki.

"You little—" Kurogane growled as he grabbed the food with his chopsticks, snatching it out of a giggling Mokona's arms.

"That was great!" Mokona cried as we exited the restaurant and stepped back into the mall's walkway.

"It really was," Fai said, patting Mokona on the head.

"Good job guiding us here," Syaoran said to Masayoshi. "It really did taste good."

While the others complimented Masayoshi's choice of restaurant, I was watching the man hanging around the walkway opposite of us. I knew what someone looked like when they were trying to be inconspicuous. This guy was terrible at it; he blatantly stared us down and only glanced away when he met my gaze. He was wearing a fur-lined vest, black spectacles, and a mohawk branching from his head. Not exactly subtle.

I quietly stepped to the back of our group as the others started down the walkway, before stopping when I was sure they didn't notice me hanging back. I watched the man from my position behind a group of teenagers as he watched the others walk away. So he's not following me. Let's see who he is interested in.

I stepped away from the teens as the man stared walking away from the main walkway and into one of the smaller halls, glancing at the group. The group was looking around, maybe they had noticed my absence?

I turned the corner and saw the man had his back to me. On his arm was a red bird-like kudan with a long sweeping tail. He said something to it before the bird nodded and flew from his arm.

I stepped up behind him. "Why are you watching them?"

He spun on me with a gasp. "What?"

"Why are you watching them?" I repeated slower this time.

"That— None of your business." He scoffed before turning away from me.

As he took his first step my hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, twisting it and forcing him to turn and drop to a knee.

"Ahh! What the hell?"

"Why are you watching them?" I asked with more steel in my voice, my hand locked around his wrist.

"We're trying to find Syaoran, all right?"

"Then I'll introduce you." I said as I let go of his wrist and grabbed his elbow, yanking him to his feet and out of the side passage.

"What?" He yelped and tried to pull away from my grip to no avail. I knew he was going to start trying to fight me in a minute.

"Don't want to cause a scene do you?" I asked as I gestured to the people milling around the mall with my free hand.

He stiffened and allowed me to steer him back to the others, who were definitely looking for me now. Fai was on his toes looking back the way we'd come while Kurogane was lazily glancing around.

"Did you see where she went?" Syaoran asked Fai.

"I'm here." I said as I walked up behind Syaoran.

He turned. "Oh! Where did you go?"

"And who's your new friend?" Fai asked, waving at our stalker.

"He was following us and I decided to find out why. He was looking for Syaoran." I said, purposely leaving the statement open to the whole group as to not identify which one of them was Syaoran.

"Why's that?" Syaoran asked, eyeing the man.

"Not sure. Thought it might me a good conversation to have over here." I said and paused as the man remained silent. "So why were you looking for him?" I tightened my grip on his arm slightly.

The man grit his teeth. "My boss wants to talk to him."

"And who'd that be?" Kurogane asked crossing his arms.

The man's jaw tightened as he glared at Kurogane, but didn't say anything.

"Hey!" A yell interrupted us. I turned to see a rotund man in a leather vest, black spectacles and a mohawk backed by a horde similarly dressed people.

"Boss!" The man I had a grip on shouted. He tried to yank his arm away and for a second I thought about fighting him, but if we had any hope of diffusing the situation I couldn't hold this guy here. I let go and he ran to join his gang, disappearing among his peers.

"I wanna know who this Syaoran is!" The leader yelled, his eyes locking on Fai. "I hear Shougo says he likes your style."

"And what if I am?" Fai asked. Mokona was perched on his shoulder, laughing.

Syaoran stepped forward. "I'm Syaoran."

The man started and glared back our stalker, who'd stepped back to the front of the group. "A kid? Are you serious?"

"No, he's the guy! I'm sure of it!"

The large man spun back to face Syaoran again. "And your plan is to join Shougo's team?"

"Team?" Syaoran asked, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

The man pointed at Syaoran accusingly. "Shougo already has too many top-level people on his team! Any more will tip the balance! Even Shogo admitted that you have a really strong kudan. If you intend to join Shogo's team, I'm gonna have to stop you."

"I'm not joining," Syaoran said.

The man smirked. "Then you'll join my team!"

"I'm not joining you either."

Fai laughed. "He doesn't mince words, does he?"

"I have my own affairs, so..." Syaoran trailed off as the man clenched his fists and stomped his foot.

"Then you're planning to start a team of your own."

Syaoran put his hands up. "No, you're not getting—"

"Well, I'm gonna take you out right now!" The large man howled and flung out his arms. A gigantic shelled creature suddenly swirled into being above the man.

"That's huge!" Fai and Mokona cried in unison, both of them grinning.

Syaoran took a step back. "I'm doing no such thing." The words were barely out of his mouth before the kudan descended and whipped an armored tail in our direction. Syaoran barely ducked in time, Kurogane easily jumped out of the way, Fai (who still had Mokona) leapt to the side, and I dropped into a roll and came up in a crouch. I glanced at the pillar we had been standing in front of. It had been completely split in two and looked on the verge of collapse. I silently got to my feet, narrowing my eyes at the gang's leader, widening my stance.

I was pissed. This was already taking too long, and every second we spent running around hunting for this feather just added to my anger. Now this joker was attacking us for no damn reason, slowing us down even more! This guy was just begging for it.

Fai kept his easy expression, but his eyes narrowed. "Not a good listener, is he?" He took a step forward, but an arm shot out to block him.

Kurogane lowered his arm and walked forward. "I've been pretty bored here," he said as he stopped and put a hand on his hip. "I'll take you on!"

"Kurogane's been looking forward to this!" Mokona cried from Fai's shoulder.

Fai lost his tense stance and smiled at Mokona. "The Hanshin Republic is just his style, huh?"

Kurogane spun and pointed at the two. "Shut up over there!"

"But... Kurogane-san! You gave your sword to Yuuko-san," Syaoran said, his eyebrows furrowing in concern.

Kurogane turned away from the boy and faced the giant horseshoe crab kudan. "That sword was magic. It was special," he said, "and in my Japan, I needed it to kill monsters that lived there. But kudan aren't monsters."

I glanced between Kurogane and the gang leader, wondering if I should step in. I wanted to, if only to guarantee a faster pace, but my opponent would be a giant crab. I had no experience fighting giant monsters but it sounded like Kurogane had plenty. It would be best to let him take this fight.

The large man eyed Kurogane up and down. "So, what level is your kudan?"

Kurogane shrugged. "I don't know, and I don't care. What's all the talk for? Come and get me!"

"Syaoran-kun!" Masayoshi yelled and I glanced over to see him running over to join us.

"Masayoshi-kun, do you know this guy?" Fai asked and nodded at the fat man.

Masayoshi grimaced. "It's a team that wants to control this district! They're battling Shougo's team over it!"

"Is their leader any good?" Fai asked.

Masayoshi paled as he eyed the man, his hands shaking slightly. "His kudan is first level! He may not look like much, but his kudan is one of the fastest around! And—"

"Take a look at the attack of a first-level kudan," the large man interrupted. "Eat this! _Kani-Nabe Senkai_!"

The crab kudan spun and whipped its tail, forcing Kurogane to leap into a back-flip. His hands brushed the tile of the walkway, guiding his landing. He landed in a crouch, he feet skidding back a few inches, with his back to a shop front window. The kudan's tail snapped across the window only a few inches above Kurogane's head, tearing into.

Kurogane was nimble for his size, and I could see his swordsmanship in his step. His stance and movements were designed for it, but without a sword they were incomplete. Kurogane danced away from the shop front, giving himself more space in case he needed to move.

"It sliced right through!" Syaoran gasped.

Masayoshi clenched his fists and finished what he'd been trying to say. "That kudan can sharpen parts of its body to an edge as sharp as a knife."

The kudan hurled itself at Kurogane, thrashing its tail as it bore down on him. Kurogane wisely sped down the walkway, trying to out run the giant crab. "Go! Go!" the large man screamed.

Kurogane glanced over his shoulder as the kudan's tail swiped for his legs, but passed harmlessly underneath him as he jumped just in time.

"Watch out!" Syaoran yelled and started forward.

Fai put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I think if you get involved, he'll get really mad," he said with a patient expression.

Syaoran frowned, glancing between Fai and Kurogane before nodding. Syaoran would only get in the way in any case. His kudan was powerful, but if he couldn't get out of this kudan's way in time, it wouldn't matter.

" _Kani Doraku_!" the gang leader cried.

Kurogane only had time to put his arms up protectively before the kudan spun and slammed into him and the wall. Kurogane kept his arms up, but was sent flying.

"Kurogane-san!" Syaoran yelled.

I was impressed that Kurogane had been able to keep his hands up despite being thrown several feet. However, it was obvious he wasn't winning this fight. He was fast, strong and I could tell he had years of experience, but he was going unarmed against a huge, bladed opponent. Without a sword Kurogane didn't have much of a chance of winning this.

The gang jeered at Kurogane as he got to his feet.

"Where's your kudan? You're probably so weak, you're ashamed to bring it out," the large man yelled.

"Oh, shut up," Kurogane snapped as he leaned against a pile of rubble. He looked pretty banged up, but he was grinning, so he couldn't be too badly injured. He straightened. "You guys talk too much!"

The large man sneered and pointed to the giant kudan hovering over his shoulder. "My kudan has an even tougher shell than most first-level kudan!"

Kurogane cracked his knuckles. "But it has a weakness. If I had a sword it'd be in pieces already." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, a huge shape formed behind Kurogane. The blue reptilian creature easily dominated the walkway and stood at least two stories in height. It was deep blue with a slender neck and a sleek, pointed head. Looming bat-like wings extended from its back and a sweeping tail curled around the beast.

Kurogane's voice was faint, but thanks to the System I heard him. "What? You were the one that appeared in my dream!"

The dragon dissolved into some kind of mist that swirled into a point in front of Kurogane. The mist sharpened into a new form, a sword that hovered in front of Kurogane. It was different from the one Kurogane had back at the witch's shop. This one was straight like mine, not curved like his original blade. It was also bladed on both sides. Although this sword was broader than mine, almost a foot across.

Kurogane grabbed the hilt of the sword and flipped it experimentally.

"You're asking me to wield you?" he muttered and stared down the blade. He grinned. "I get it. You like a good punch-up, too."

The large man took a step back. "S-so that's your kudan? It's probably all show! Well, I've got an ultimate attack." He threw out an arm. " _Kane Kui-Hodai_!"

The crab kudan's spikes elongated as it darted toward Kurogane. "It doesn't matter how hard a shell is," he said. "When you pull out a knife, lobsters and crabs all have weak points in the joints." Kurogane leapt at the kudan and shouted, " _Hema Ryû-Ô-Jin_!"

Energy swirled around the blade of the sword as he brought it down onto the kudan. He split the creature cleanly in two and fell to the ground in a crouch as the kudan exploded above him.

"Gah!" the gang leader screamed and clutched his chest. He fell to the ground as his gang gathered around him. The man pointed a shaky finger at Kurogane. "Th-the kid lied! He did form a team. You're a part of Syaoran's team, aren't you?"

Kurogane glared down at the man and rested his sword on his shoulder. "I'm not on anybody's team. Listen, in my life, I've only served under one person, and that's Princess Tomoyo!"

After Kurogane's victory, the gang collected their leader and fled the area. Masayoshi suggested that we do the same. Since Kurogane had been part of the fight, he could be held accountable for some of the damage. So we left before the cops could arrive, and after a short time walking the streets it grew dark and we decided to head back to Sorata and Arashi's place. I wanted to keep searching, but we had no leads and were needlessly expending energy at this point, so I agreed that we should head back.

Sorata and Arashi welcomed us back to their home, with Sorata's usual abundance of energy, and they started discussing Kurogane and Syaoran's kudan. I wasn't interested in the conversation so I headed up to the room Arashi had set up for me. I laid on the futon and let my mind wander until Arashi's muffled voice echoed up from the floor.

"You said that you detected the waves of Sakura's feather, but you don't know where it went?"

"Uh-huh." Mokona said.

"So if it were simply someone who had the feather and walked away, you probably could have easily tracked down where it went to. But if the one that had it could appear and disappear, the only thing that could have it is . . ." Her voice trailed off, leaving a moment of silence.

"A kudan! Is that what you mean?" Syaoran said.

That made sense. I'd seen Syaoran, Masayoshi, and Kurogane's kudan appear and disappear in an instant. If a kudan had the feather, then when they vanished they might take it with them.

After an hour of staring at the ceiling, I heard the voices in the house fall silent, so I assumed everyone had gone to bed.

I was extremely sleep deprived. My eyes felt sore and my thoughts kept bleeding together, so I decided I should actually sleep tonight. I unfastened my sword from my belt but kept it in my hand as I rolled over and closed my eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This is the updated version of chapter 3. 10/13/16

The walls were empty, the usual pictures and videos that would play on the glass walls of the living room blank and webbed with cracks.

Last time I was here, some of the pictures had still been visible past the static plaguing the glass, but now the damage was complete, not a single face or memory played on the walls. Dust coated the stained couches, draining away their once soft and inviting familiarity. Broken knickknacks and faded books decorated the dusty bookshelf. The lamp next to it shed no light, and it too had lost its warmth to the dust.

The windows were fogged, like a thick mist hung outside, and the dim light that seeped into the room only magnified the choking silence of the place.

There were three things I could do in this dream. I could climb the stairs, try the front door, or take the door in the back of the room. The stairs held no promise. I could climb them, but I knew I would have no hope of returning to what was at the top, so I never did.

The door in the back didn't exist in the real version of this this room. It was jarringly out of place between the bookshelf and the stairs. The door wasn't particularly menacing—it was a plain, white sliding door—but everything else in the room was either a warped copy of the real thing, or the same as I'd left it. This door didn't belong.

For a long time when I started having this dream, I would try the front door to find it fixed in place. It wasn't locked—the door or handles would have at least rattled—but it didn't budge in the slightest. It was the whole thing was a solid piece of stone.

I didn't bother with the front door. I turned away from the front door and walked to the door in the back, past the stairs, and gripped the handle of the sliding door.

It pulled open with a hiss and I was greeted by a stairway leading down. The shadows of the stairwell were darker than the light filtering in through the windows should have permitted, but nonetheless after five steps nothing more could be seen.

I started down the steps, my footfalls making no sound as I stepped through the doorway. Every time I had this dream I would make it a little farther down the stairs, and after so many repetitions it seemed like hours before I heard a faint voice behind me.

"Sis?"

I turned to see Nathaniel's silhouette in the distant block of light that the doorway had become. As usual I took a step back up the stairs, only to find that the steps had been disappearing behind me.

Then the door at the top of the stairs slammed shut and I was left in darkness with no way back.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I guess that nobody has their kudan out while simply walking." Fai said as we made our way down the street. We'd gotten up early again to continue our search for the feather. After breakfast, Sorata and Arashi had given us all a new set of clothes to wear. I got jeans and a T-shirt and brought my sword again.

"Even if we do find out which kudan has taken the feather," Kurogane said, looking around, "I doubt they'll be willing to give it up."

"I think we should look for Shougo," I said. "He was the only person we know who specifically had his kudan out during that fight. If we can cross him off the list, we can move on to the rest of his gang. That's better than wandering around and hoping for it to just walk up to us."

"That could work." Syaoran said.

Without warning, a figure stepped out of the wall we were walking next to. Syaoran, who was the closest, jumped and yelled in surprise. The boy, still halfway in the wall, bowed to him without a word.

I took a step back before remembering who this boy was. He was Masayoshi's kudan, which would explain why half of him was sticking out of a wall.

"Syaoran-kun!" Masayoshi called as he came running around the corner.

"Masayoshi-kun," Syaoran greeted him.

When Masayoshi came to a stop in front of us, he bent over panting. His kudan vanished into his chest as he caught his breath. "Were you able to find what you were looking for?"

Syaoran sighed. "Not yet."

"Okay, then. How about I be your guide again today?"

"Are you sure it's okay?"

"Sure."

"I'm surprised you were able to find us," Fai said.

"My kudan can find anybody as long as he's met them once," Masayoshi explained.

"That's a handy ability," Syaoran said.

Masayoshi waved his hands. "But that's about all he can do. He's pretty weak."

"Would he be able to find Shougo?" I asked.

"Ah, there's an idea." Fai said.

Masayoshi shook his head. "Sorry, but I've never been close enough."

"Wouldn't be that easy, huh" Kurogane said.

I was distracted as a high whistling sound pierced the air. The others looked around, trying to find the origin of the sound. The System alerted me to source and I found it a half a second before the others did. An enormous bird was diving straight for us. The System drew a bright blue line across my vision, a prediction of its trajectory, straight to Masayoshi.

I grabbed Masayoshi by his sleeve, trying to pull him out of the way, but the second I got a grip on him, the gigantic bird kudan swooped down and grabbed him by the shirt collar, wrenching him out of my grip. He screamed as the bird rocketed into the sky. I was startled to see Mokona clinging to Masayoshi's shoulder, his eyes wide as they pair gained altitude.

"Mokona! Masayoshi-kun!" Syaoran shouted up at the retreating bird.

I reached for the holster on my hip where my gun would usually be, but as my hand closed on air, I remembered that I had lost them during the explosion at Adrian's facility.

An envelope fluttered down and landed at Syaoran's feet as the bird disappeared behind a skyscraper. He glanced down to the envelope, his brows furrowed. The envelope had music notes on a staff decorating the edges. Syaoran grabbed the envelope, tore it open, and read the note inside. He started, and I leaned over his shoulder to read it.

_I'll be waiting at Hanshin Castle,_ curled across the page in long flowing script.

Syaoran turned to Fai and Kurogane and yelled in another language. Fai and Kurogane stared at him blankly as Syaoran continued and handed them the note.

I looked at Fai and Kurogane. "Did either of you understand that?" Kurogane and Fai gave me the same blank look as they gave Syaoran. I glanced back to Syaoran to see him wearing a matching expression. Fai and Kurogane began speaking other languages as well. Fai frowned and smacked the side of his head as Kurogane muttered under his breath.

"Well, this is fantastic," I said. _Why are we all speaking nonsense? Things were fine until a minute ago. Something has to have changed._

" _Mokona!"_ I said as the others said his name at the same time. We all nodded at each other in agreement. Syaoran looked around and ran over to a little shop on the street corner, and the rest of us looked at each other and followed. Syaoran was at the counter with the frog wallet Sorata had given us yesterday. He was glancing from the shop keeper to the wallet with a furrowed brow.

I walked to stand next to him, looking from the puzzled shop keeper to the item on the counter. It was a folded piece of paper. I picked it up and flicked it open, finding a web of lines. It was a map.

I set it back down and pointed to it, glancing at Syaoran with a raised eyebrow. He nodded, which I took as, _yes, I do want to buy this_.

I glanced at the register and pointed to the glowing green numbers on the screen facing us. Syaoran was from a desert country that was farther behind in technology than this one, so maybe he didn't know the price was displayed on the register.

His eyes widened and he nodded before digging around in the wallet and producing a few bills. The clerk nodded and swapped out the bills for change. Syaoran took the money with a small bow before taking the map off the counter.

He snapped open the map. After a few moments of pointing and babble we eventually found our location and after a few more minutes, Hanshin Castle. Syaoran went to run out of the store with the others but I put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him up short.

I pointed to the subway symbol on the map and he raised an eyebrow. I thought for a moment and then turned to Kurogane hoping he would remember our brief conversation about cars and that the new word wouldn't need translation.

"Car," I said while pretending to hold a steering wheel the way Sorata had.

His eyes lit up in understanding and he nodded. Syaoran and Fai frowned, glancing between us, but nodded in agreement.

A subway wasn't a car of course, but it was a faster mode of transport than walking, which was the priority.

We headed for the nearest subway and I soon saw a staircase leading under the street. I made a 'follow-me' gesture and ran down the stairs with the others behind me.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When our train pulled to a stop at Hanshin Castle Station, we ran out of the train and up the steps. Syaoran got to the top of the steps and pointed to our left at a path to the castle and babbled something. Fai and Kurogane tried to say something back with no luck.

We started up the path to the castle when Syaoran stopped and cried, "Mokona! Masayoshi-kun!"

I followed his gaze and saw Masayoshi and Mokona tied by their waists to the very top of castle, dangling under a fish statue that served as the roof ornament. Masayoshi was crying, hanging limply in his restraints. Mokona, on the other hand, laughed and swung around.

"How'd you get up there?" Fai asked with a wave in their direction.

Kurogane put his hands behind his head. "You look like you're having fun. At least the white thing does."

"Oh good. The babbling is gone," I said, nodding towards Mokona.

"So you understand me now?" Kurogane asked, glancing at us.

"Yes," I said.

Fai nodded. "I understand."

"Me too," Syaoran said. "So it _is_ Mokona that's doing it."

"Shall we, then?" Fai asked, pointing at the castle. Everyone nodded and we resumed our run towards the castle.

"Hey!" Kurogane said. "Does this mean that any time we get separated from it, we won't be able to communicate?"

"That's what it means." Fai said with a grin.

"What a pain!"

As we ran up the hill, a faint, steady rumble rose ahead of us, rising into a chaotic roar. When we crested the hill, we found the source. Hanshin castle loomed above a courtyard full of a sea of people. If you were looking from Hanshin castle, the hill we were on was to the right of the park.

They crowd stared up at us and rumbled among themselves. Black spectacles and bandanas adorned every member of the crowd.

What was it with the uniforms in this world?

"What's with these people?" Kurogane said.

Fai put a hand over his eyes to block the sun. "A lot of them, huh?"

Syaoran grabbed the note from his pocket, held it up above his head. "Who is the one who wrote this letter?"

"That would be me!" a female voice said to our left. We spun and saw a young woman with mint green pigtailed hair that fell down to her waist and round brown eyes. Little pink wings sprouted from the back of her pink dress. She leaned against a rail on one of the top floors of the castle.

The crowd of men below us erupted into chaos when she appeared. "Primera-chan!" they all said, waving their hands and beaming stupidly at the woman.

Kurogane grit his teeth. "Who is this woman?"

The crowd below us exploded in boos and hisses. Through their thundering I was able to make out a few things like: "You don't know Primera-chan? You must live under a rock! Primera-Chan is our idol! She sings! She models! She even has a morning talk show! More than that, she controls an incredible kudan!"

Syaoran ignored them and yelled up at the woman. "Please let Mokona and Masayoshi-kun down!"

Her eyebrows rose and her eyes widened. She pointed up to the swinging duo. "You mean that isn't Syaoran?"

"I am Syaoran," Syaoran shouted at her.

The woman spun on some men standing behind her and began beating them with a fan, "You idiots! You couldn't have been more wrong!"

Syaoran continued. "If you have any business, bring it to me. Let those two down right now."

She hopped down to the rooftop below the deck where she'd been standing. "Nope!" She winked, put one hand on her hip and pointed a finger at us with the other. "If you want them back, you're going to have to battle me for them."

After she'd struck her pose the crowd of men went into hysterics. "Primera-chan! She's so beautiful!"

"Shut up!" Kurogane snarled at the crowd of idiots.

Syaoran's gaze flicked up and down the castle. "We'll have to find a way up."

"I might be able to get up there," Fai said, pointing to himself.

"You know where the staircase is?"

"No, but I should be able to get there."

"Yeah?" Kurogane said. "How?"

Fai smirked. "My kudan may be willing to help." Fai took a step back just as an enormous, elegant bird appeared behind him with a roar of wind. Its lavender wings beat once, sending dirt flying into the air and wind ripping through my hair, before curling them around Fai as it faded away. In its place a sphere of wind curled around Fai, and he leapt into the air.

"He's flying!" Syaoran cried.

I kept my features schooled, but I was surprised. It hadn't occurred to me that kudan had abilities other than those of their manifested forms, or that they could enable flight.

Primera pouted and curled her hands into fists. "Man! He can fly? If I can't, he shouldn't be allowed to."

"This girl is already getting on my nerves." I said. Kurogane glanced over his shoulder, giving me a smirk.

Primera swept her right arm out and sang, "My kudan, come on!" A bulky microphone with speakers on the front swirled into her hand. "Now you'll see what kind of damage my kudan's attack can do." She winked and sung into the mic. "Is everyone... _Having Fun_?" The words literally sprang from the speakers, like giant block lettering barreling straight for Fai. He tried to dodge, I could see him drop a few feet, but he was too slow. The letters slammed into him, engulfing him in smoke with a resounding boom.

The System highlighted Fai's silhouette to help me keep track of him past the dust clouding the air. He got pushed back a few feet, but didn't seem badly injured.

"Fai-san!" Syaoran said.

"He's fine," I said.

"Eh?" Syaoran asked. He looked up and saw the smoke clear around Fai.

Fai smirked. "That was a surprise. This country is pretty amazing." Fai looked up to where Mokona was swinging. "You liked that attack, didn't you, Mokona?"

"Amazing! Amazing!" Mokona laughed, clapping.

Masayoshi's eyebrows furrowed as tears streamed down his face. "Primera-chan's kudan is special level! Be careful!"

"That makes me so frustrated," Primera said, waving her arms. "But, _you won't beat me_." More characters flew at Fai, but this time he swung out of the way.

Primera continued to scream more attacks, but every time, Fai dodged, flipping, twirling, and ducking away from her attacks.

Which meant my first assessment of Fai had been wrong.

At first, I thought Fai was just an average man. He didn't have the muscle mass of a fighter, and his clothes and speech implied a more scholarly background. His movements were always graceful, but he didn't have the muscle I usually associated with fighting, so I'd attributed his grace to dancing, swimming, or something of the like. What I hadn't taken into account was magic.

It was a simple concept now that I knew more about magic, but it hadn't occurred to me that magic didn't require muscle. With the exception of Kurogane's, all the kudan I had seen acted on their master's commands with the wave of an arm or a word. Taking that into consideration, and Fai's grace, it meant that the man could very well be fighter.

"Why? Why can't I hit you?" Primera said as Fai alighted on the roof below her.

"If I let you hit me, it might hurt." He shrugged.

"What are you planning?" Kurogane murmured, his gaze locked on Fai.

Syaoran shook his head. "We have to get to the top and get Masayoshi and Mokona down. We also have to help Fai-san."

Kurogane snorted. "You can leave him alone. He'll be fine."

Primera began yelling different tongue twisters and poems into her mic. " _The sixth sheik's sicko's ship' sunk! A tutor who tooted a fruit tried to tutor two doodoos to toot!_ "

Kurogane's eyes flicked back and forth, following every detail of the fight. "I've fought with kudan, so I know. Even if your kudan is able to fly, your muscles are your body's normal muscles."

"You mean the ability to float and dodge like he's as light as paper is Fai-san's own ability?" Syaoran asked.

"Ah," Kurogane's eyes narrowed. "Look at that damn grin. That man is a combat veteran."

"I imagine so." Syaoran's even tone surprised me. I glanced over at him.

"That doesn't surprise you?" Kurogane asked.

"There's a clue in the casual way Fai-san carries himself and the look in his eyes just gives you that impression."

The look in his eyes huh? Maybe Syaoran was more perceptive than I'd thought.

Kurogane glanced at Syaoran from the corner of his eye. "Maybe you're not a complete fool."

"But even if Fai is a warrior, I'd still like to help him out if I can."

Kurogane smirked. "But I'm right about you being a naive kid!"

This fight was taking too long. I glanced at the entrance to the castle. I could try getting into the castle and taking her out from behind, or getting Masayoshi and Mokona so we could just leave. But all I had was my sword, if she spotted me before I got to her, I had no doubt that any wall I tried to hide behind would be destroyed. If I had a gun, I could end this—No. This girl was an idiot, but just an idiot. She didn't have any truly malicious motive. Besides Nathaniel had made me promise to keep a more level head in these situations. Regardless, I would need to get a gun at the earliest opportunity. Would this world even have guns?

Before I could make a decision, Primera briefly stopped her attacks. "You forced me into it. Change!" She held out her mic, and it started glowing "When my kudan-chan becomes a mic stand there's no running away."

The mic glowed and stretched, and when the light faded, she gripped a mic stand. She sang into the mic. " _All the fans love me!_ " As she yelled, she swung the mic up and the characters shooting out of her kudan curved, following Fai as he tried to dodge.

A boom rippled the air as the letters found their mark. This explosion was bigger than the first and engulfed Fai in smoke. He fell from the air and into a tree, getting caught in the branches.

"Fai-san!" Syaoran said.

Syaoran ran over to the tree, but before he could do anything Fai waved him away. "I'm all right!" He stood up, singed and bruised but other than that he looked fine. Maybe the wind was acting as some kind of shield?

"I never expected it to change form." Fai's eyes narrowed as he smiled up at Primera. "And since this girl is fighting with her kudan, and Mokona isn't reacting it must mean that the girl isn't the one with the feather."

_So that's why he was taking so long. Not only is he a fighter, he's a tactician. And he's been holding back this whole time._

Primera giggled. "Well? Do you surrender?"

"If I did, what would happen next?" Fai shouted, perching casually on the tree.

"Then I move on to defeat this 'Syaoran' guy!"

Fai put a hand on his hip. "We can't have that. Syaoran-kun has some important business to see through. I'd really rather that it ends with me."

"If so then I _will just have to win_!" A huge column of characters came rushing down towards Fai. He stood unmoving until the symbols were alarmingly close, then braced a hand on the column and launched himself upward, and sprinted up the column towards Primera.

Primera had time to gasp, and Fai came to a halt only inches away from her face.

_He's fast._ The System informed me that he had run 26 mph, although there was the potential that his kudan had helped with his speed.

Fai tackled her to the ground, holding her hand with the mic away from himself, angling it towards the roof above them. "I don't want to be the cause of injury to a beautiful young woman. Won't you stop?" His voice didn't hold any anger. In fact, it sounded polite.

"Amazing!" Mokona cried as he swung on his rope.

"Th-this is so not fair!" Primera cried into her mic. The characters flew out of her mic and away from Fai, up towards the roof.

We all saw her mistake as the letters flew up towards Masayoshi and Mokona.

"Watch out!" Syaoran cried.

The characters didn't make direct contact with them, but they did hit the statue they were tied to. The explosion sent them flying down towards the ground, Mokona laughing. Masayoshi's kudan appeared and grimaced with the effort of pulling Masayoshi up, but it barely slowed them down.

I started to run, but I only made it a few feet before a looming figure appeared beneath them, safely stopping their free fall. Shougo's stingray cushioned their fall, darting away from the falling debris once they'd landed. It flew back over to the roof once the air cleared and placed them next to Fai and Primera.

The System directed me to Shougo's location. I turned to see him and his gang standing on a wall opposite the castle. Shougo's eyes narrowed into slits and he put a hand on his hip. "What do you think you're doing, Primera?"

"Shougo-kun!" Primera whined as she sat up.

Shougo's annoyed expression didn't waver. "You've got work to do, right? Don't you have a concert to prepare for?"

Fai helped Primera up as she started yelling. "I did it because—because you never come to see me!"

He never comes to see her? We'd been running around all day wasting our time because a spoiled brat wanted attention? Was everyone in this world so shallow and destructive?

Primera swung her mic around and pouted. "Besides, there's plenty of time! The concerts at the Hanshin Dome right over there!" She pointed back behind her.

"Even if it is," Shougo called, "why are you destroying our cultural heritage?" He pointed at the smoking top of Hanshin Castle.

Fai left Primera, largely unnoticed, and began floating back down towards the rest of us. Primera continued her rant. "You break buildings all the time, Shougo-kun! Don't talk to me all high and mighty!"

"What are these two squabbling about?" Kurogane grumbled and I could see Syaoran looked lost, too.

"They're arguing about him not visiting her enough or something," I said.

The crowd below us had gotten louder during Shougo and Primera's exchange. Fai walked over to the edge and peered down at the crowd. "Hm? What are you all crying over?"

"Primera-Chan's in love with that team leader, there!" One man cried and pointed at Shogo, "But since he never comes to see her, she's lonely!"

"How do you know?"

All the men in the crowd pulled out thick magazines with a picture of Primera on the front. "Because Primera-chan made it official!"

"See for yourself!" One of the men threw his magazine at us.

The magazine flew at my head but I ducked. Kurogane, a few feet behind me, caught it and flicked it open. I raised an eyebrow at him, but he either didn't see or ignored me.

Shougo held out a black apron he'd had in his hand. "I don't know about you, but I'm supposed to go to school and help out with the family business. I was in the middle of a delivery!"

"But I'm lonely!" Primera pouted and pointed to Masayoshi. "So I asked this guy you like over to see me, hoping he would join the Primera fan club, and while you visited with him, you could see me too."

"You're so dumb!" Shougo said, running a hand down his face.

"Syaoran! Syaoran!" Mokona interrupted, jumping up and down and waving his paws. But what caught my attention more than his frantic waving were his eyes. They were wide, his signal for a nearby feather.

"Mokona! Your eyes!" Syaoran cried.

"It's here! The feather is real close by!"

"Where? Who has it?"

"Mokona doesn't know, but Mokona just felt a huge wave!"

I started recalibrating The System, setting the audio to inform me of any abnormal sounds waves, and the visual system to scan for any objects that fit the feather's criteria. Nothing abnormal came up in the visional scan, and the only noise the audio scan found was the usual buzz of human voices and any nearby machinery.

"So some kudan has taken it inside itself," Fai said.

Kurogane shut the magazine and looked around, crossing his arms. "But it gets stronger and then weaker. What is that supposed to mean?"

Syaoran put a hand to his mouth in thought as he looked around. "Sorata-san said that kudan protect their owners. So probably, the time that it puts out its greatest strength is when it's protecting its owner."

"And that means," Fai said, "the way to find the feather is through battle."

"I'm sorry that my words caused unexpected trouble for you, Syaoran," Shougo yelled, interrupting our conversation. "But I do like your style. You're strong. And by that, I don't mean you got muscles, I mean right here." He pointed a thumb at his heart. "So I wanted to try to take you on with your kudan."

"Shougo-kun, all you care about are your kudan battles," Primera shouted. "You retard!"

"Don't say 'retard'!" Shougo snapped.

"I understand," Syaoran said as he stepped forward. His kudan appeared, flames roaring up from the ground until the wolf stood alongside him. The glow from the flames flickered across Syaoran's face, accenting his determined expression. "I accept your challenge!"

Shougo pulled his goggles over his eyes and turned to the men behind him. "You guys, stay outta this, got me?" His gang whistled in response, pumping their fists and crowing encouragement. Syaoran looked at his kudan, letting his hand rest on the wolf's back. "Like I said in my dream, I want power. Power to protect Sakura. You'll fight alongside me?"

The wolf nodded once.

The System hadn't found anything matching the feather yet, so it was either hidden, or I wasn't capable of detecting it. I decided to focus on the fight for now. If Fai was right and battle was the only way to find it, I didn't want to miss a second.

Shougo's kudan rose up into the air. "Ready?" he cried.

"Go!"

Syaoran's wolf launched a spiraling column of fire at Shougo's kudan, rolling heat waves across Syaoran and the surrounding environment, warping them. The stingray opened its mouth and shot a jet of water to meet the incoming attack. The attacks met in the middle, hissing and spitting as steam boiled explosively into the air. The pressure of the air and water expanding so quickly sent a shock wave through the yard. That, and the stray jets of water and curls of fire blasting across the space, sent rocks flying into the air.

"Watch out!" Masayoshi screamed.

Syaoran's head snapped up and his eyes widened at the sight of a stone plummeting towards his head. He leaped, spun, and threw a kick at the descending rock, breaking it in two with a resounding crack.

I blinked. Syaoran had just broken a rock. With his _foot_. Syaoran either had some serious martial arts training or magic was once again interfering. Maybe a combination of both? And wasn't Syaoran an archeologist? Why would he have any training in combat?

"Syaoran-kun is pretty cool," Fai said, watching the fight with his hands tucked into his pockets.

"So he's more than just a pliable fool," Kurogane said, giving Fai a pointed look. "You both have faces that say, 'ignore me, I'm a fool!' But I see through it."

"Yeah," Fai said. "It seems like he's more than just an archeologist. He's still very young, but young people can come through their pain. And I believe he has. I'd say he's not much different from you, Alice." Fai turned to smile at me.

I flicked my gaze up from the fight to meet his. I didn't smile back. My eyes remained cold as I stared back at him. He was too perceptive, but I didn't care what any of them thought of me. As long as they didn't get too interested in Nathaniel.

Kurogane huffed and looked at me, too. "He's right. I haven't seen you in combat yet but you have a sword, and I see it in the way you walk and look at people." His eyes narrowed as he held my gaze. "You're always watching the crowd, but the white thing already said your brother isn't here. So what are you always looking for?"

I returned his stare in silence, letting a moment pass. My face betrayed nothing, and when I spoke my voice was neither cold nor welcoming. "When I can explain things to you all," I nodded at Syaoran, who had landed in a crouch next to his kudan, "I may let you know the answer to that question."

Kurogane glowered at me and held my gaze for a few seconds before huffing and turning back to the fight. Fai glanced between us before shrugging and turning away as well.

"Mokona!" Syaoran yelled. "Can you feel the feather's presence?"

"The feather is there, but Mokona doesn't know who has it!" Mokona cried from the roof.

Syaoran didn't reply, but he held out his left hand towards Shougo and gripped the elbow of the outstretched arm with his free hand, bracing it. Fire coiled around it and then exploded from his closed fist, flying directly at Shougo.

Shougo's kudan blasted a wall of water in an attempt to stop the oncoming fireball, but it was useless. The fireball punched through the wall of water unfaltering. Shougo started, but didn't have time to dodge the attack. The burst of flame burst feet in front Shougo and his kudan, exploding with a burning roar and knocked Shougo off his kudan and into the air.

"Shougo-kun!" Primera screamed.

The kudan recovered, darting under Shougo and turning to water to cushion his landing. The kudan lowered Shougo to the ground. He was drenched, but jumped down, uninjured. "Oh man!" he cried. "That was the first time I've ever been hit like that."

"Shougo-kun!" Primera said.

"I'm fine!" he snapped. "I told you to stop screaming my name."

"Wh-who ever said I cared what happens to you?" She shrieked, waving her arms. During the fight, Primera's fans had retreated from the courtyard and perched in the trees surrounding the castle. They held binoculars and watched her every move with giggles and gossip.

Shougo returned his attention to Syaoran and grinned. "You're a tough one."

Syaoran had his left arm held out towards Shougo, a determined look on his face as he waited for his opponent's next move.

"Kudan are controlled by the heart," Shougo said. "What is it that makes yours so strong?"

Syaoran's expression remained stoic. "I have something I must see through."

"That makes sense."

Shougo's hand shot up, his kudan darting to hover above him. "Ready?" he yelled. The kudan's mouth opened as on orb of water bloomed, suspended in its jaws. "Go!" The orb of water broke, sending a tsunami slamming into the courtyard. I glanced from the ocean drowning the courtyard to the orb of water suspended in the kudan's jaws. The amount of water pouring into the yard and slamming into the walls was far more than the size of the orb could have permitted.

The ground shook under the three of us as Syaoran disappeared beneath the churning waves. For a few seconds, all I could see was the violent waves crashing against the edge of the wall a few feet away from where we stood. But then steam rose from the place Syaoran had been, followed moments later by a fierce hissing as the sea boiled and spat.

When the torrent of water was reduced to a shallow puddle, it revealed Syaoran standing in the same place he'd vanished. He wasn't even wet.

A crack rang through the courtyard and I spun, looking up at the castle. The System highlighted the various angles of the structure, as a sentence appeared in the upper right hand corner of my vision, telling me what I'd already guessed. The top half of the castle had taken serious damage, and now the structure was collapsing. "Watch out!" Syaoran yelled, his voice nearly lost in the shudders of the collapsing building.

Masayoshi, Mokona and Primera stood stranded on the second lowest roof, with the top half of the castle folding on top of them.

"Primera, your Kudan! Destroy the debris!" I yelled. If she could divert the castle's collapse, or at least minimize the debris, they could escape.

Primera shrank into a ball, Mokona clutched in her arms, either unable to hear me or unwilling to act. Masayoshi gaped at the oncoming building, but pulled himself out of his stupor and threw himself over Primera and Mokona.

The snaps of the crumbling castle rose to a deafening thunder as the upper structure fell down onto them.

But before they could be crushed, the castle top halted, hanging suspended above their heads as silence replaced the building's groans.

The cluster of stone and wood hung suspended feet over Masayoshi and Primera's heads. Bits of lumber and rock clattered onto the roof around them.

Wind blew through the courtyard, tearing at my hair and pushing me back a step, originating from the looming figure that had appeared next to Hanshin Castle. A giant hand lifted the chunk of building and dropped it onto the ground. A resounding boom filled the air.

Masayoshi's kudan had grown taller than the castle and stood silent, staring down at him. Its blank face and empty eyes contrasted sharply against its usually warm features. The silence of the entire courtyard amplified its strange stillness.

Mokona jumped from Primera's arms. "Mokona found it! The feather. It's in that kudan!"

"Did I hear right? The feather's in _that_ kudan?" Kurogane asked. I glanced down at Syaoran. He turned away from Shougo, his gaze fixed on the kudan.

Fai put his hands on his hips. "I think I understand. Even when he used his kudan to find us, Mokona didn't detect it. The time when it needs the most power is when it's protecting someone it cares about from a life-or-death situation. The last time Mokona detected it was also when Masayoshi was in a dangerous situation, when they were falling. Even now, it's trying to protect him from the crumbling castle."

The kudan bent down, scooping Masayoshi into its hands. Primera yelled and beat her fists against the hand the hand that was twice her height. The kudan stood straight, gazing blankly ahead for a few seconds before opening its mouth and taking a deep breath, the sound like wind howling through a forest. As the noised died down, a beam of light burst from its mouth, the kudan's eyes glowing as the beam flew over our heads. It scraped what remained of Hanshin Castle, sending flames curling up where the beam touched, and hurled Primera and Mokona off the roof.

Shougo's kudan shot over our heads, its master crouched low on its back. He dove beneath Primera, catching her and Mokona before shooting off, away from the beam of light.

The kudan's beam of light held strong continuing and humming as it started walking away. Masayoshi yelling at his kudan as it lumbered away into the forest, setting fire to the trees its attack touched.

Fai floated down to where Syaoran stood watching the retreating giant. Kurogane and I jumped down a moment later. "What's wrong with that kudan?" Kurogane asked.

"The feather had too much power for it," Fai explained. "That kudan has more power than Masayoshi can control."

Kurogane looked at Syaoran. "What'll you do now?"

Syaoran walked towards the rampaging kudan with his flaming wolf at his side. "I'm going to get Sakura's feather back."

"Yes, but how are you going to get to it? Unless you kudan can fly, you're stuck on the ground," I said crossing my arms.

Syaoran glanced down at his wolf who returned his gaze before nodding.

"Well, then," I muttered.

"How do you intend to fight something that big?" Kurogane said. "One slip up and you're dead."

"I still have something to see through. I can't die yet."

Syaoran and Kurogane stared at each other for a moment, something passing between them. Both of their stares held the weight of people who knew what it meant to have others depend on you. That kind of weight changed things. Sometimes it made the most terrifying challenge the easiest thing in the world. Sometimes it made easy, everyday tasks, impossible. I had a feeling Syaoran was using the first of the two.

"Mm. Count on Kuro-pi to handle things here. You go ahead," Fai said.

"What do you mean, me?" Kurogane said.

Syaoran smiled. "Then I'll see you later." He broke into a sprint with his kudan at his side.

Fai watched him run off. "Syaoran-kun has strength. In a lot of different ways. I get the feeling that I understand why that fire kudan came to him."

We watched silently as Masayoshi's kudan burned through the forest, its progress slow but steady.

A few moments later an explosion erupted from the rampaging kudan's feet. The giant lurched to a stop, its head turning to look around at the ground. There was a moment where all I could hear was the distant roar of the fire and the faint snaps of breaking trees.

A burst of fire shot into the air in front of the kudan. The curl of fire hovered in front of the kudan as the giant's eyes focused on it. A closer look revealed that the ball of flame was Syaoran cloaked in fire.

"Hey brat, can you hear what's going on?" Kurogane asked.

I glanced up at him before returning my gaze to the fight. "No. They're out of my range. But I can see. Syaoran is aiming for the kudan's chest. There's something shimmering there."

"That's probably the feather," Fai said. "He's going to have to get pretty close to get it."

Syaoran darted forward, closing the distance between himself and the kudan's chest. Fire erupted around Syaoran, a brighter red than his own. The flames seemed to war with each other, growing higher and brighter around Syaoran as the second ticked by.

Then there was a flash, and Masayoshi's kudan fell, shrinking back to his normal size. Syaoran held a bright light in his hand.

"He's got it." I said. _Finally we can be done here._

The wolf darted under Masayoshi and his kudan, halting their fall as Syaoran floated back to earth with them. Shougo flew over and raised a hand, sending a deluge of rain to cover the burning park and street.

We ran to join Syaoran as he got to his feet and beamed down as his closed hand. Despite his singed skin and bruises, his face didn't hold a hint of pain.

"I was able to get one back for her." He muttered.

"Impressive, Syaoran-kun." Fai said.

Syaoran grinned at him before he started, turning to Masayoshi, who was standing by Syaoran's wolf a few feet away.

"Are you alright?" Syaoran asked.

Masayoshi nodded, his face crumpled and threatening tears. "I'm fine. Are you okay? I'm so sorry."

Syaoran gave him a warm smile. "Don't apologize. If you hadn't made that final push to help me get the feather, I might have lost. And we wouldn't have found it in the first place if it wasn't for you."

Although Syaoran's tone was warm and genuine, I noticed his free hand tapping the side of his leg. He was itching to leave.

"I still think I owe you an apology, but I can give it to you later. That's what you've been looking so hard for right?"

Syaoran nodded. "Would you mind if we…"

"No. Go on, I'll find you later. Don't let me hold you back."

"Thank you."

We picked up Mokona from Primera and made our way back to the subway, with Syaoran taking the lead. He ran all the way to the subway and twitching with energy as we waited to get to the right stop. The whole time he had the feather clutched protectively in both hands.

When we finally got off the subway, he sprinted off towards Sorata and Arashi's. We followed him, but he got there about thirty seconds before we did. We saw him give a hasty greeting and explanation to Sorata and Arashi, who were outside cleaning the front yard of the apartment building, before careening into the house. I heard him thundering up the stairs as Fai, Kurogane and I followed him.

We walked up the stairs and made it to the doorway to see Syaoran clutching Sakura's hand, his brows drawn together as he smiled down at her.

The feather was gone, so I assumed Syaoran must have returned it to her already. Sakura's skin was still pale, but as a few seconds passed, color crept across her cheeks and her breathing deepened slightly. Her heartbeat also picked up, beating a healthier pace.

Sakura's eyes fluttered open and she blinked, her eyes staring empty ahead. Syaoran's face lit up. "Sakura!"

She looked around the room slowly before her eyes settled on Syaoran, her gaze unfocused. "Who... are you?"

I heard Syaoran's breath catch. He closed his eyes for a moment, schooling his anguished features and setting her hand down.

"I'm called Syaoran," he said with a careful smile. "And you... are Her Highness, Princess Sakura. If you'd be so kind as to listen, I'll explain. You are a princess from another world."

"Another... world?"

Syaoran nodded. "And at the moment, you've lost your memories. You're traveling between worlds to find them."

"By myself?"

"No, you have traveling companions."

"Are you... one of those?"

"Yes."

Sakura tilted her head. "You're doing this for a total stranger?"

Syaoran's calm wavered for a second before he composed himself. "I am."

Fai stepped into the room and smiled at Sakura. "Princess Sakura," he said with a bow. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. Fai D. Fluorite, at you service." As he stepped past Syaoran, he touched his shoulder. Syaoran took the gesture and stepped out of the room as Kurogane followed Fai inside. "And may I present — "

Kurogane spoke up, giving Fai a pointed look. "I'm Kurogane."

I leaned against the doorway. "I'm Alice."

"And this cute, fluffy one is Mokona Modoki!" Fai held out a waving Mokona. "But you can just call him Mokona."

Sakura's eyes grew a little brighter as she spoke with Mokona. As they chatted, the rest of us stepped back out of the room and watched Syaoran step outside into the pouring rain. His back was to the house and shadows clung to him, hiding his eyes. The rain soaked him almost immediately, his shirt hung on him as water streamed down his shoulders and fell from the tips of his fingers.

We walked over to the window, Kurogane and Fai leaning on the wall to either side of it. I knew that the fact we were now out of Sakura's range of hearing wasn't an accident.

"At that moment," Fai said as we watched Syaoran from the window, "I was sure he would cry. It seems that Sakura-chan is the most important person in the world to Syaoran-kun. So when she said, 'Who are you?' I felt certain he would cry. I wonder if he's crying now."

"Don't know," Kurogane said. "But if he wants to keep from crying, he'll just have to get stronger. Strong enough so that he won't be the one crying in the end."

"Yeah..." Fai murmured. "But I also think there's a certain strength in being able to cry when you should."

Outside, a giant dragon and an equally giant bird silently faded into being, shielding Syaoran from the rain, while a wolf of flame stood beside him.

I stepped back into the shadows of the house. I turned the corner and sat against the wall in the hallway and just listened for a while, letting my gaze land against the wall opposite me.

So Sakura, my fourth traveling companion was awake. And Syaoran was devastated. I suppose I should've expected it, it was 'the thing he valued the most,' but I couldn't completely grasp his reaction. She was awake and alive wasn't she? The past might have been gone, but they had the future to rebuild some of it. Sure, there was something precious that could never be reclaimed, but that was life. You lose things, and you take the blow and stand back up, keep walking. Or you stay down and let life leave you behind. But maybe this was how Syaoran took the blow. Maybe this was how he got back up.

In the other room I heard Sakura's soft voice. "While I was sleeping, I wonder if someone was holding my hand, it felt so warm. It was nice."

And I heard another voice echoing from my own memories.

"You've made your choice. Now accept it fully and know you will never have the right to cry again."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This is the updated version of chapter 4. 10/24/16

**One year ago.**

I stepped into the section of the complex I shared with Nathaniel. There was only one door to the area, and only Nathaniel, Adrian, and I had clearance to enter it. Anyone else would be met with an alarm, and me. Most of the people who worked in the facility shouldn't be able to access this floor. I quietly closed the door behind me and announced, "I'm back."

The living room's carpet and ceiling shared warm brown hues, and the glass walls played stylized ocean waves in shifting blues and greens. The windows were one-way, so people on the outside couldn't see in, but it still let sunlight through during the day, and I could see out into the rest of the city far below. We could see Elpedite's shimmering blue and silver businesses and houses stretching into the night. The sky was black, the misty lights of the city shielding the stars from view. The only lights in the sky were several airships and one of the atmos-cities drifting across the night.

Nathaniel sat in a cushy chair by the window, curled over the screen in his lap. Upon my announcement he looked up, and a grin spread across his face as his eye met mine. I returned his smile. The familiar stab of guilt and fury I felt every time I saw his eyepatch didn't make it to my face.

He unfolded from the chair and set his screen aside, running over to give me a hug. "Finally! It feels like you've been gone forever."

I returned the embrace, beaming down at him and ruffling his black hair. "I know. Sorry. Haven't Mika and Rutile been keeping you company? And I hope you didn't follow Rutile's plan to flood your classroom's sink with soda and mentos."

He pulled away, but gripped my hand and led me back to the windows. "Nah. Mika talked us out of it. How'd you know?"

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. And Mika called to tell me. But of course I wasn't going to get back in time to stop you, so I left it up to him."

"Well he did a good job of it. He distracted Rutile with a game of chess. Besides, I was too busy reading. Did you know about the ancient city of Whe'na?"

"No, I don't. What makes it so fascinating?" I asked, pulling up a chair beside Nathaniel's as he dropped back into his.

"Well, not a lot is known about it. Most of what is known comes from the building some archeologists found on Ugein Island." Nathaniel tapped the screen a few times before turning it to me. On the it was a picture of an ancient stone building with arched doorways, rounded rooftops, worn spiral patterns carved into the walls, and one tower at the top. Trees grew up the sides, their roots choking the crumbling stone. The sky was a deep grey with plateaus visible as dark silhouettes on the horizon.

"What is it?" I asked, resting my chin in my hand.

Nathaniel pulled the screen back, tapping it a few times. "No one's a hundred percent sure, but they think it was a town hall of sorts. They've found evidence of all sorts of things inside: libraries, royal chambers, and crypts." His bright blue eye darted across the screen. An excited smile crept up his cheeks as he listed off the strange building's rooms. "It was built like it was the center of a city, but there aren't any signs of the rest of it. It's like all the buildings and people just vanished. Even the crypt was empty, no bodies anywhere, only empty tombs."

I was quiet for a moment after he fell silent. "How busy is that place? It must attract a huge amount of tourists." I didn't expect it to, actually. I just wanted to confirm my suspicion. If the place was nearly abandoned, maybe I could get us a visit there.

"That's actually the really weird part; not a lot of people go there. It was never a very popular subject in the news, and it was too hard to build any sort of tourist attractions there, so it's mostly untouched."

"Hmm." My gaze wandered over the article on the screen. "Would you like to go there?"

He snorted. "Of course! That would be amazing! Imagine what I could find." His smile faltered as he spoke. He tried to hide it, but I caught it.

"Then I'll try to get us a trip there," I said, standing up and pulling off my coat.

"What?"

"I'll ask Adrian about getting us a visit."

"But that's— Adrian wouldn't— "

"Why not?"

Nathaniel froze, his smile creeping back. "You think you can?"

I crossed my arms and stared at the wall. "I can try. And I _think_ it will work."

A weight fell against me and I looked down to see Nathaniel hugging my side. "Thank you."

I snorted. "Remember that when I tell you this: bed time."

"Aw, come on! It's only ten."

"And you have math in the morning. Bed," I said, turning him around to face the stairs.

"But you only sleep for like, four hours."

"I have a computer in my brain. You don't."

"Fine," he whined, right before trying to turn and duck under my arm.

I tripped him, catching him in my right arm before throwing him over my shoulder. "Again: computer in my brain."

"Ugh." He went limp. I carried him up the stairs and into his room, dropping him on the bed. He rolled off and grabbed his pajamas from the drawer. "Will you walk me to math tomorrow?"

"Sure. If I can," I said, tapping his windows. The glass turned black, blocking out any light. Nathaniel put on his pajamas and jumped into bed. I threw his covers up over his head before he huffed and pulled them back down, shooting me a look of mock irritation. "Love you. Goodnight," I said, going to the door and tapping the wall to shut off the lights.

"Love you too."

As I stepped back into the living room, an alert flashed in the upper right corner of my vision. Adrian wanted to see me. I sighed, glaring at the floor as I shrugged my jacket back on. Hopefully whatever he wanted wouldn't take long. Shutting the lights off as I went, I exited. After pulling the door shut behind me, I waited a moment. A click echoed down the hall, confirming it had locked.

My footsteps echoed against the silence of the smooth, white halls of the facility. "I'm headed for the hundred and tenth floor," I said.

"Understood," The sterile voice of the building's AI replied.

As I passed the door to Nathaniel's classroom, a _ding_ announced the arrival of the elevator at the end of the hall. The doors parted. I stepped inside, and they slid shut behind me. Machinery whirred as the elevator rose. The number 110 scrolled across the screen in the top right corner of the elevator.

The elevator slowed to a halt and another _ding_ rang out. As the doors parted I stepped out, past two masked soldiers on either side of the doorway. They both held new TER guns, full gear, and stood rooted to the floor. They faced away from the elevator, and as I walked into their field of vision, the soldier on the right's heart rate rose. _She must be new._

The glass covered walls of the entryway, playing gold and blue spiraling patterns, slowly flowing across the room. The gleaming white floor and ceiling contrasted against my black boots, the black receptionist desk, and seats lining the walls. The receptionist's eyes glanced up to meet mine before darting back to his work. The doors to Adrian's office were closed, but I pulled them open without a word of protest from the receptionist.

Silently, the office doors swung shut behind me. The far wall of the office wasn't a wall, but a single giant window. The dim lights of Adrian's office let the glow of the city light the ceiling. None of the wall art of the entryway played across the blank white walls.

Adrian sat in his desk, silhouetted against the dotted lights of Elpedite shining behind him.

"What do you want?" I asked as I approached his desk.

He tapped the screen in front of him, not glancing up as I sat down in one of the chairs facing his desk. I glared at him and waited for him to finish the paperwork he was working on. As he tapped his screen a final time, he sat back and the dim glow it cast on his face faded away. "Hello, Alice. Thank you for joining me." He gave me a smile, his green eyes crinkling at the corners in a way that radiated warmth.

"I don't enjoy your jokes. _What_ do you want?" I grit my teeth.

His warm smile vanished and a cold smirk replaced it. "To speak with you about the future."

"Couldn't this have waited until tomorrow?"

"No. I had time now, so now we'll talk." His smirk remained frozen in place. "You've been going to the west mostly, and within certain areas of Elpedite, but I'm going to be sending you north more. You will start training with Amale and her team starting tomorrow at eleven PM in area seven to prepare. Your sessions with Fare and the others will be canceled. You've moved beyond them anyway."

My eyes narrowed. "What about with you?"

"You'll still train with me every third week."

"Good."

"That was all. You can leave now." He turned back to his screen.

"Actually I have something I would like to discuss," I said, leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees.

"And what would that be?" he asked without looking up.

"Nathaniel and I would like to visit some ruins within the next few weeks. The ruins of Whe'na on the island of Ugien."

There was a moment of silence as Adrian's fingers ran across his screen, presumably checking out the ruins and island. "All right. You can go next week. I'll prepare everything soon."

"Are you really going to make this that easy?" I said, a sneer pulling at my lips.

Adrian turned to look at me, his smirk still in place, but steel behind his eyes. "Yes, I am. I remember the _conversation_ we had. We resolved this then. Don't waste my time or my patience. Leave."

I rose from the chair, locking stares with him for a moment longer before turning away and exiting the room. I passed the receptionist and guards and entered the waiting elevator.

"Floor one hundred," I said.

"Understood, Alice."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

**Present.**

"Masayoshi-kun, I really want to thank you," Syaoran said.

We were back at the okonomiyaki restaurant at Masayoshi's request. He'd figured out that we'd be leaving and had shown up this morning with his kudan to ask if he could take us out to lunch as a goodbye party. We'd agreed, but left Sakura with Arashi since she was still falling asleep unexpectedly. This included during dinner last night, when she'd accidentally used her bowl of rice as a pillow.

I sipped from my glass of water and absently watched Mokona once again go after Kurogane's food. Oddly enough, Kurogane seemed less irritated this time, and although he glared, he actually engaged the creature in a mock sword fight with their chopsticks.

Masayoshi sniffed. "Both my kudan and I—We're always so weak, so—so—" He brushed a tear away. "I'm glad you were able to get the feather."

"You aren't weak," Syaoran said, his voice firm. "Strength and weakness aren't measured only in battle. Going out and doing your best for someone else's sake is a wonderful sign of strength."

Masayoshi blinked away the rest of his tears and smiled. "Thanks! Thank you."

"Yo," a voice said. I turned to see Shougo waving as he walked over to our table. His gang, following behind him, poured into the restaurant and started filling every empty table. Mokona took advantage of Kurogane's distraction and snatched the okonomiyaki they'd been battling for. "I'm glad my team gets good intelligence," Shougo went on as Masayoshi scooted over to make room for him on the bench across from Kurogane, Fai, and me. "I'll have futa-modan," he called to the blond waiter from the other day.

"Of course, sir," the man said. "One futa-modan for this gentleman, Your Majesty!"

The voice of the waiter that looked like Syaoran's king snapped across the restaurant. "I told you to stop that!"

Shougo turned to Syaoran. "Nobody got wounded, right?"

"We're fine," Syaoran said. "I'm sorry to have interrupted our battle."

Shougo smiled. "It's okay. It was the only thing you could do, circumstances being what they were."

A distressed squeak drew my attention and looked over to see that Kurogane's miraculous patience had apparently evaporated. Kurogane grinned as he dangled a squeaking and flailing Mokona over the grill.

"Besides," Shougo said, his voice falling to a more serious tone, "I was losing that battle anyway." Shougo's men erupted into boos and taunts, filling the restaurant. It was interesting that Shougo knew when to admit his loses. I still thought the street brawl enthusiasm of this world was reckless, but maybe Shougo did have a certain honor, like Masayoshi said. But regardless of who was winning or losing, the fight had been unnecessary once we found out Masayoshi's kudan had the feather. If Syaoran and Shougo thought finishing the fight would be polite or something, I was glad circumstances forced them to cut it short.

"Oh shut up!" Shougo said, cutting off the jeers of his gang.

"Alice-san?" Fai asked.

"Yes?" I asked, turning to him.

"I was wondering; do you have a kudan? I haven't seen you use one."

I frowned. I hadn't thought to much about it, since magic was still so alien to me, but I couldn't think of an obvious reason I wouldn't have a kudan. "No, I don't. Why do you ask?"

"Just out of curiosity. It seems strange that a kudan wouldn't appear for you, but the rest of us all found them. Do you have any idea why that would be? And you haven't had any strange dreams, have you?"

It was odd that I didn't have a kudan when that seemed to be one of the rules of this world. Was a special dream necessary to get a kudan? If it was, that would explain it. I'd only slept that one night. But the dreams seemed more like side-effects than the cause. And the only dream I'd had was a familiar one, without any mysterious beasts.

I frowned and ran my thumb over the edge of my glass. "No, I haven't had any odd dreams. And I'm not sure why a kudan hasn't come to me."

"Hm." Fai rested his chin in his hand. "You said magic didn't exist in your world, right? Maybe that has something to do with it."

"Maybe." If magic somehow didn't work the same with me as it did with the others, whose worlds were built with magic, that could explain it. But if that was the cause, then how could I travel with it? Maybe that wasn't the issue at all; maybe there was a reason unrelated to magic that I didn't get a kudan.

After the meal, Shougo, Masayoshi, and the rest of us left the thunderous buzz of the restaurant to find a quieter space to say goodbye. Syaoran stood with Masayoshi and Shougo, saying his farewells as Kurogane, Fai, Mokona and I waited a few feet away. Syaoran smiled warmly as he shook Masayoshi and Shougo's hands before walking over to join us. He turned to beam at Masayoshi. "If we make it back here we'll be sure to visit, okay?"

I turned away as Fai gave a wave, and we started back to Sorata and Arashi's place.

"Take care!" Masayoshi cried as we turned the corner.

Starting a brisk pace, I left the others behind as they stopped to admire the shops. I wanted to get away from the others for a while and get my mind in order. My gaze locked on the ground as I made my way through the crowd.

The dream I'd had the night before last unsettled me. I hated that dream, even more than the painful ones I'd had. I couldn't tell exactly why, but it always left me with a hollow feeling in my chest. Like something creeping through my veins from my core into the rest of my body. I'd been able to ignore it yesterday with all the chaos, but today left me with more time to think.

Slowing my pace, I worked over my thoughts and emotions. The dream had upset me. If I let this continue, it was going to distract me from more important things and I needed to get it under control.

I stopped, my gaze flicking away from the ground, to the crowd around me. I was letting it distract me right now. The System could scan for Adrian, yes, but the cameras were in my eyes, which meant they could only see what I could. I'd just been staring at the ground for ten minutes while dozens of people had walked passed me.

This was idiotic. I took a deep breath and as I let it out I pushed aside the gnawing hollowness, the anger. If my mind was clear, I could focus on what was important: finding Nathaniel and avoiding Adrian. I couldn't allow these useless emotions to rule my head. Anger could fuel my fights, and a certain sense of unease could alert me to dangerous situations. But none of those feelings had any use here.

I let cold focus crawl across my mind, freezing anything that could distract me.

After organizing my emotions, I returned to Sorata and Arashi's home. I nodded a greeting to Sakura and Arashi as I headed to my guest room. I found my clothes folded where I left them and changed back into them. I wanted to be ready to go when the others returned.

As I fastened my sword back into place, I wondered if I could get a gun here before we left, or at least a knife, but I dismissed the thought. It would take too long to find either now, and I wasn't sure if this world had guns. But if I got into a fight where the enemy used distance to their advantage or had a gun of their own, I was going to need one. I could ricochet bullets with my sword, but I couldn't deflect them back at the enemy with guaranteed precision. And if I was caught unprepared, I wouldn't have a chance to get my sword in position to block the bullet.

A knife and gun would also be necessary if I ran into Adrian. I suspected he knew how to disarm me if I used my sword, so I needed a backup. Even if I didn't have the time to find anything in this world, any world I could imagine, no matter how primitive or dependent on magic, must have knives, right?

I folded the clothes I'd borrowed and placed them on the floor. As I straightened I caught sight of myself in the mirror on the wall across from me. Blue flickering in my eyes. The System analyzing my own reflection. I glared at myself for a moment before turning away and going to the small balcony that overlooked the apartment front and bustling street to wait.

Seven minutes later, the others filtered out of the crowd and into the yard, Fai and Syaoran chatting while Kurogane followed behind. I left the balcony and returned to the kitchen, where the others had stepped in and were talking with Arashi and Sakura.

"Tell me when you're ready to go," I said as I walked past them and into the yard. Outside, I leaned against the side of the apartment and watched the crowd. The people moved past the building in a constant stream. Two school girls around my age walked passed, giggling as they flipped through a magazine. A father held his bawling daughter while the child's mother tried soothing her. A man in a suit power-walked, checking his watch as he swung his brief case.

The people here weren't so different than the ones from my world. The girls in Elpedite would be giggling over something on their screens rather than a magazine. The parents would still be fussing over their child, and the man who was late to work would still be checking the time. But the same feeling of distance was here as well. The girls, the family, and the working man all seemed far away somehow. The girls whose only worries were school, family, and other basic things . . . I couldn't imagine what it would be like to live so simply. And the parents with their daughter— what was it like to be confident you would always have that? The confidence that they would always have each other, that they could raise their daughter and watch her grow.

Looking at them felt like looking at the stars.

Sakura drew my attention as she wobbled out of the doorway, along with Syaoran. He held her arm, gently guiding her. Fai, Mokona and Kurogane followed behind them a moment later. Everyone was back in the clothes we started our journey in. Sorata and Arashi came out next and I pushed off the wall to join the group.

"You're going already?" Sorata asked, looking disappointed.

"Yes," Syaoran said, his voice kind, but firm.

"But you haven't tasted all the cooking me and my wife can make," Sorata wailed as Syaoran returned the frog purse to Arashi.

Sakura blinked, staring at the ground as she wobbled for a moment. But Fai noticed and took her arm with a smile, steadying her. I returned my attention to the passing crowd, half-listening to the others' conversation. I didn't need to focus on the people myself, just make sure the cameras could see them.

A disc of spiraling colors bloomed beneath my feet, making me jump. I glanced over to see Kurogane's eyes locked on mine. He'd been watching me observe the crowd. He was probably going to ask about that again soon, and I doubted he would take another 'wait until later.'

Mokona rose from Syaoran's shoulders as wings sprang from his back. "Thank you so much for everything!" Syaoran shouted as the wind rose, threatening to consume his voice.

"For what?" Sorata asked with a smirk. "We didn't do anything special."

"I pray that you find one of Sakura's feathers in your next world," Arashi said.

Then Mokona's mouth gaped open, and Sorata and Arashi vanished along with the rest of their world in a swirling blend of color.

Whatever this was, traveling between worlds, dimension, or planets, was just as disorienting as the first time. I held my arms out and shifted my legs in an attempt to right myself. Colors flowed around me, making it impossible to decide what was truly up or down. I managed to spin myself into what I hoped was an upright position.

I half turned to see the others falling through the vortex of hues with me. We all fell a few yards away from each other, except for Syaoran and Sakura. Syaoran had an arm securely around her waist.

When the stream of colors pulled apart beneath me, I was ready. Until I saw the crowd of gaping up at us in shock before they started scrambling to get out of our way. As they cleared, a dusty dirt road, cloth stalls, and crates of fruit filled our landing space. I grit my teeth as I realized this was going to be rough, and potentially messy.

I bent my legs slightly and kept my hands out, doing my best to brace for the landing. I dropped onto one of the crates with a crunch, the wood breaking beneath me as I let my legs bend, cushioning my impact but sending me butt first into the crate behind me. The crack of more breaking crates announced the others landing next to me, as slivers of wood scraped my face and a persimmon bounced off my head.

I sat up and brushed the wood chips from my hair, looking around. Fai and Mokona laughed, stuck in crates of their own. Syaoran and Sakura stared, bewildered at the chaos we'd made. Kurogane wiped some fruity mush off his face, muttering to himself.

The crowd that had cleared as we landed quickly reformed, gathering around us with alarmed stares and hushed whispers. I pushed myself out of the crate I'd landed in and flicked my gaze over the crowd. No sign of Nathaniel or Adrian. I sighed in a mix of relief and frustration. It was exhausting looking for the both of them constantly, and I had only been to one world before this one. They could literally be anywhere. Which made nowhere safe, for me or Nathaniel. Adrian's presence loomed behind every door and amidst any crowd.

An even spread of men and women surrounded us, but some of the men shot dark glares at us and brandished long poles. There were stalls lining the dirt road, selling fruit, fish, clothes, jewelry and other wares I couldn't identify. No buildings loomed above us, and no sidewalk lined the road. The street lights and flashing signs I was used to were gone. I listened and found no hum of machinery. In its place was the aggressive buzz of the crowd.

I flexed my hand as I resisted the temptation to grip the hilt of my sword. If anything could diffuse the aggression of the crowd, going for my weapon was not it.

One of the men in the crowd towards us, and my gaze met his. "Who are you?" he barked, leveling his staff in our direction.

"Huh?" Kurogane said. "What is it now?"

"Wow!" Fai said. "I think we're the center of attention."

"We're visitors," I told the man.

A towering man stalked toward us through the crowd as they hurried out of his way. He glared down at us, his wide shoulders stiff, small eyes narrowed, and a frog-like mouth curled into a sneer. "Who the hell are they?" he demanded. "And where did they come from?" He breached the distance I would define as friendly, and his pace wasn't slowing. His tensed shoulders and quick pace exuded aggression as he reached out towards Sakura. I took a step sideways to intercept him, but before I could get around the crates, he'd grabbed Sakura's arm.

Syaoran shot up immediately, leaping from a sitting position to deliver a flying kick to the man's face. The crack from the blow rang through the now silent street as the man stumbled back. Syaoran landed, placing himself between the man and Sakura, glaring.

Fai and Mokona laughed, and Kurogane gave a snort of approval. I eyed Syaoran. Something about the way he'd moved was familiar, but I couldn't figure out what.

"You think that was a good idea, kicking me in the face?" the man yelled, blood streaming from his nose. I stepped around the crates, making sure they were out of my way if the man tried anything else. I usually wanted to maintain a certain peace with strangers, and I could let a few things go to maintain it. But when I met someone like this, who clearly wanted a fight, it was best to establish dominance from the start.

The man took a step forward. I spaced my feet a little farther apart, setting one farther forward then the other, and lifted my back heel off the ground. But before he got too close, a girl's voice thundered across the street. "Stop right there!"

I followed the voice to a rooftop across from us. A young girl sat on it, her arms crossed, a livid expression on her face. She had long dark hair, pulled up in a ponytail, and she looked about thirteen years old. "If you don't want to be kicked," she said, "don't go attacking people at random, you stupid little boy!"

"Chu'Nyan!" He spun on her. "Who are you calling stupid?"

The girl stood up, putting a hand up to shield her eyes and mimed looking around. "I don't see anybody stupider than you."

"You little . . . " He clenched his fists. "You insult me? I am the only son of the Ryanban-sama, the master of the country of Koryo, including the town of Ryonfi!"

I couldn't follow some of what he said, but if he was furious over a little girl and throwing his title around, then I knew the type of man this was. He was nothing I needed to worry about.

"You may call him Ryanban," the girl said, "but less than a year ago, he was just a wandering shinban magician."

"You dare put down my father?" the man howled. "Do you know the punishment for opposing the Ryanban, Chu'Nyan?"

The girl opened and shut her mouth as her face crumpled, and she grit her teeth.

"I claim the right of retribution for these insults!" the man said as he and the hostile members of the mob retreated. "Just be prepared!"

We'd kept quiet during the altercation, but as soon as the man disappeared behind the crowd, Syaoran turned to Sakura. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Sakura said with a smile. "Thank you."

Syaoran returned the smile, but sorrow crept along the edges of it. Kurogane and Fai pulled themselves out of the mess of crates and fruit, and we all stood to form a circle once they were free. "Well," Fai said, watching the retreating mob over his shoulder, "it looks like we created trouble immediately after our arrival."

"Syaoran was great!" Mokona cried excitedly as he copied Syaoran's flying kick.

Syaoran smiled, but his gaze fell to the crates we landed in. He started. "Ah!" He looked around and spotted a man picking up some of the fruit. "I'm sorry." He started picking up persimmons and righted one of the crates we'd knocked over. "You meant to sell these right?"

"It's all right. It doesn't seem like you meant to," the man said, waving away Syaoran's apology. Sakura followed Syaoran, picking up the fruit. Fai quickly joined her.

"Mokona will help too!" Mokona cried as he skipped over to retrieve a persimmon.

"Come on Kuro-pin, Alice-san, you pick them up too." Fai waved Kurogane and I over.

"Ugh! What a pain! And why does she get a proper name?" he asked, stomping over.

I hesitated, but started collecting the scattered persimmons and returning them to the functional crates. I threw a glance over my shoulder and spotted the girl from the roof a few feet away, folding crumpled blankets from one of the stalls we'd damaged. I turned back to our group as I returned another armful of persimmons and spotted Sakura slumped against a crate, blinking sleep from her eyes.

"Those are weird clothes!" a yell made me jump, and I spun to see Chu'Nyan staring at Syaoran, who stared back with a baffled expression.

Fai burst out laughing and pointed to Kurogane. "She called them weird. She must've been talking about your clothes, Kuro-rin."

Mokona jumped onto Fai's head. "Kurogane's weird!"

"If I'm weird, then so are you!" Kurogane snapped.

Chu'Nyan took a few steps closer, regaining my attention. "You people . . . are you guys . . . " She stared at us for a second. Then she darted over to Sakura, grabbed her wrist, and started towing her away from us at a run. "Come with me!"

Syaoran jumped. "Wait a moment!" He dumped his armful of fruit into a crate as he scrambled to sprint after them.

"Are you kidding me?" I said and ran after him, along with Kurogane and Fai.

"We're busy all ready," Fai said.

"This is _such_ a pain!" Kurogane growled.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The girl led us down several streets before darting into a simple wooden building with a tile roof. We followed and found ourselves in a sparsely furnished room with wooden floors, sliding paper doors, and spacious windows.

Chu'Nyan sat Sakura down across from her, and when Syaoran entered, she commanded him to do the same. Now she just sat staring at them. Fai inspected a small mirror on a shelf, a hand on his chin as he angled it around the room. Kurogane stood by the door, testing how far he could stretch Mokona's face as the creature refused to drop the subject of his 'weird clothes.'

I waited by the door, watching all of them in confusion before Syaoran spoke. "Um . . . Where are—?"

"My house," the girl said, staring at him intently.

"Why did you suddenly—"

"Don't you have something to say?"

"Okay, kid. What do you want?" I said, crossing my arms and glaring at the girl.

She leaned forward and glanced between me, Syaoran, and Sakura. "You don't have anything to say?"

"Besides 'Would you get to your point?' No."

She glanced between me and Syaoran once again before she sighed and sat back. "Now that I think about it, children like you couldn't be Amen'osa could you?"

Sakura rubbed her eye. "Amen'osa?"

"The Amen'osa are a group of agents that the government sends around the country. They know that some of the Ryanban are acting only in their own self-interest in the regions they control. They know some people are oppressed. So they travel about the country with a mission to right those wrongs."

Mokona leapt from Syaoran's head with a yell. "It's Mito-Komon!"

The girl eyed Mokona and leaned away as the creature babbled to Syaoran. "I've been wondering this for a while, but . . . what is that thing?" she asked.

"Mokona is Mokona!" Mokona sang as he sprung toward the girl. She fell back in surprise, gasping as Mokona fell on her with a laugh.

Fai sat down next to her. "Just think of Mokona as a mascot. So you think we're this Amen'osa of yours . . . um . . . "

"Chu'Nyan," the girl supplied as Mokona jumped off her.

Fai smiled and pointed to himself. "My name's Fai. This is Syaoran-kun, Sakura-chan over here, over there is Alice-san . . . "

Kurogane glared at Fai, guessing what was coming. "And finally," Fai continued, "This is Kuro-puu!"

"That's Kurogane!" he barked.

Fai ignored him and returned his attention to Chu'Nyan. "So you wish that these Amen'Osa would come here. And if you want that, you must think this leader of yours is a bad man."

"He's the worst," she growled, gritting her teeth. "He took my Omoni . . . my mother, and . . . "

Took her mother? As in killed or kidnapped her? If it was the latter, then it would be odd for Chu'Nyan to be defying them so boldly. Her actions made more sense if her mother had been murdered. Her behavior in the market was rash if the man and his father had the power they claimed. Which would make sense if she was a grieving child with no parents to hold her back. Rage and grief could be difficult to control at that age.

My jacket collar fluttered, and slapped my cheek, distracting me. I frowned and folded it back down, but felt a breeze tugging against it and my hair. I turned to look outside and saw a ring of dust dancing up around the house as the windows and doors of the home began to rattle.

"Is that the wind?" Fai asked as the window panes shivered in their frames.

"Everybody stay inside!" Chu'Nyan yelled as the house began shuddering and groaning.

The front door stood open, shaking as the gale tried to rip it from its track. I lunged to pull it shut, slamming it into place as a clay pot, hurled by the wind, shattered against it. I dropped low, keeping a hand against the door as the house shuddered around us and the wind rose to a scream.

I looked over at the others to see Fai snatch Mokona out of the air and Syaoran pull Sakura to the floor, shielding them from the flying debris and slivers of wood. After a solid minute of bits of the house flying off around us and tiles being snatched from the roof, the wind vanished, leaving a ringing silence.

I stood slowly. The window frames bared jagged shards around the sills like teeth. The sections of paper on the sliding doors had either vanished or had gashes torn through them. A hole gaped through the roof as a single tile fell through and shattered on the floor.

Fai rose, his smile gone. "That was no natural wind just now."

"It was the damn Ryanban! He's the one who did it all!" Chu'Nyan yelled, clenching her fists.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After we helped Chu'Nyan sweep out her home and hang blankets across the bigger gaps in the walls and windows, she invited us to spend the night. We accepted. Sakura and Chu'Nyan sat in the corner, chatting away despite Sakura periodically starting awake after nodding off. I sat with the others by the door. They'd been talking about fixing the roof in the morning when I broke in on the conversation.

"Mokona, is my brother here?"

Mokona leapt from Syaoran's shoulder to mine and closed his eyes. "Sorry." His ears drooped and he shook his head. "He's not here."

That hollow feeling in my chest twisted, but I clamped down on it, refusing to let it grow. "All right."

"Hey," Kurogane said, and I looked over to him. "That thing I mentioned in Hanshin Republic, about you watching people. We're all here now, so do you want to explain?"

"I have to admit, I'm also curious," Fai said. Syaoran eyed me with raised eyebrows, but waited for me to explain.

What to tell them? It was a difficult question. How did I explain? I reminded myself they didn't need the full story. I needed to tell them the truth, but only the core of what they should know about Adrian. That simplified things.

"I'm looking for a man named Adrian. If he finds me or Nathaniel, it's very likely he'll try to kill us, and he's not the sort of person who will let go of something once he decides to do it." I said.

"What?" Syaoran gasped. "Why? How could he find you?"

"And what did you do to piss him off?" Kurogane asked. Fai frowned but said nothing.

I looked at Syaoran. "Adrian was the man who found magic in my world. He's also the one who created the explosion. I saw him get thrown by the blast before it reached Nathaniel and me. He must have been sent to another world, as well. I won't tell you why he wants to kill us."

Kurogane narrowed his eyes. "You seem to be hiding a lot, brat."

I leveled my gaze with his, letting some ice creep into my eyes. "Yes." I turned to Mokona. "Would you be able to tell me if Adrian is in this world, like you can with Nathaniel?"

"Do you know Adrian's full name?"

"No. And I doubt Adrian is his real one."

Mokona shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't do it without that."

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. "Okay. Thank you."

"Well," Fai said, "if you tell us what he looks like, maybe we can help keep a lookout for him."

"Yes," Syaoran said. "It'll be safer with more eyes watching."

I frowned. Why would they offer to look for him? Maybe they didn't want to get caught between Adrian and I. That could be part of it, but after Syaoran made so many friends in two days, and Fai's patient kindness despite the risk to himself during our time in the Hanshin Republic, that attitude didn't seem to fit them. At least for Syaoran and Fai, they might genuinely want to help me. And if I had them looking with me, I couldn't think of a downside. We were stuck traveling as a group, so more eyes watching for Adrian would make everyone safer.

"All right," I said. "He's about Fai's height, maybe a bit taller. He has short blond hair, green eyes and a scar above his right eyebrow. He's charismatic, and can paste on the perfect smile at any point. He's in his fifties, but due to my world's medical progress he looks more like he's in his late twenties. He was wearing something that resembled Sorata's suit when I last saw him, with a longer, black coat and spiraling white patterns on the sleeves and neckline, but he could have changed into something else by now."

"And what should we do if we see him?" Fai asked.

"Just point him out to me. If it is Adrian, I'll take care of it." I didn't want them getting in the way or letting Adrian know they had any connection to me.

"It's like eye-spy!" Mokona exclaimed as he launched off my shoulder and back onto Syaoran's.

"The last thing you should know is important," I said. "It'll help you spot him, and let you know why you should avoid him."

The others perked up at this. I ran a basic scan of the house, blue lines and angles spreading across my vision. I wanted to remind them what this looked like. "If you see him, a sure way to know it's him is to look into his eyes. You'll be able to see a red light. Like me, with the System showing up in my eyes as blue lights."

Syaoran's brow furrowed. "Does that mean he also has the System?"

"Not exactly. Adrian does have a version of the System, but his was created before mine. The System I have is designed to be inferior to his. My System is called the ALICE System, like I told you in the Hanshin Republic; Advanced Limb Interface Control Engine."

Kurogane's eyebrows shot up, and Syaoran blinked, but Fai nodded like he'd expected it.

"So it was named after you?" Syaoran asked.

"No. Alice isn't my real name. My world named me after the ALICE System, so it's the alias I took."

"Let's back up a second," Kurogane said. "You said your ALICE System was inferior to his. That means your System is weaker on purpose?"

"Correct."

"Why would you get a weaker version?" Kurogane asked. "If this Adrian guy is so dangerous, why would you want a weaker System than his?"

"I didn't."

Kurogane glared, irritated with my terseness, but I stood before he could ask any more questions. I fully intended to tell them the truth, but only the truths I wanted to disclose, so yes or no questions would make things difficult. Besides this conversation had already gone further than I'd have preferred. "I'm going for a walk." I opened sliding door of the house, stepping out into the dark streets.

"W-wait!" Syaoran called. "What if you get lost or another magic attack hits?"

I glanced over my shoulder. "I'll be fine. The System will remember the layout of the city. And I don't think I'm a target at the moment." I let my eyes linger on Chu'Nyan for a moment, then walked out into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Five years ago**

When Nathaniel was five, and I was twelve, I realized how this life was affecting his development. He had nannies, but they were always replaced every other month.

I stepped into our home as the nanny rose from the couch. I nodded to her as Nathaniel dropped his toy elephant and ran to me. He hugged my knees and pulled me back towards the toy-strewed carpet. I snorted. "Sure. I'll play."

"Nathaniel, do you want to tell your sister how you've behaved?" the nanny asked, sending him a raised eyebrow.

Nathaniel didn't even glance at her. He picked up a soft frog and dumped it into my hands as I took a seat next to him. I sat, staring at my brother as he played with his toys. The nanny repeated her question more insistently, but her voice sounded distant, like she was on the other side of a thin wall. Nathaniel continued to play with his elephant, ignoring the woman. Something clicked.

"Nathaniel?" I asked.

He looked at me with a curious smile. I frowned and turned to the nanny.

"Is that what you're talking about? Him ignoring you?"

Her gaze darted from me to Nathaniel. "Yes, miss."

I looked back at Nathaniel. This was the nanny's first day, and usually I had to let them know that Nathaniel wasn't going to respond to them much. Nathaniel only responded to his care takers when the matter was important.

But it _was_ odd.

I glanced back at the woman. "Um . . . "

"Sylvia, miss."

"Sylvia, what age to children usually start talking?"

She hesitated. "One, miss."

I flinched. _How did I not know that? Why didn't I notice?_ He had plenty of children's shows, ones that taught kids letters and numbers. I had assumed Nathaniel would pick up on it. The nannies had tried bringing his silence up with me, but I shut them down. I was arrogant, refusing any help from them, determined to raise Nathaniel myself. Now he was behind and it was my fault.

My face twisted as panic flooded my veins. "Please leave." Sylvia nodded and left, the door beeped as it shut behind her, confirming her exit.

"Nathaniel, come on, we're going upstairs." I plastered a calm smile back on my face as I took his hand. The thought of bringing Nathaniel upstairs with me was revolting, but the idea of leaving him with a nanny after this revelation felt even worse.

I helped Nathaniel into his shoes, bright pink ones with blue cartoon cats animated on the sides. He smiled as the cats ran across the edges of the soles, and I noticed his eye patch had slid onto his nose.

Ignoring the guilt bubbling up inside me, I reached out and readjusted it. Nathaniel watched me, his smile gone and his expression on the verge of worried. I reinforced my smile, refusing to let him see my worry, before poking him on the nose. "Boop."

He giggled and pushed my hand away. My smile grew a fraction more genuine as I pulled him back to his feet and we left for the elevator. Nathaniel's curiosity drew him to the elevator buttons. He stepped toward them, hands outstretched to press as many as he could, before I grabbed his hands, spinning him around.

"Jump when I do," I said as the elevator slowed. I knew Nathaniel wouldn't get the timing right, so I grabbed him under the arms as the elevators momentum slowed abruptly. I jumped, letting the momentum carry us higher than we could on our own. He giggled as we landed with a thud.

We stepped out of the elevator and past the soldiers. I stopped at the receptionist's desk. "Is Adrian here?"

The man's gaze flicked up, then away. "He's on the training floor."

Another elevator ride later, during which Nathaniel pressed two extra buttons and we repeated our jump, we got to the training floor.

A boom echoed through the sterile room as we entered. Adrian's arm swung back in a blur, returning to his side after delivering a blow to his sparring partner. The man stumbled back, coughing and clutching his throat from the hit Adrian landed with his false knife.

Adrian let him retreat from the match as he turned to face us. A smile spread across his face as he panted.

"Hello. What are you both doing here?" He slipped the dull knife into his belt, striding past his scientists and assistants to us.

"I needed to talk to you about Nathaniel." I said, a sneer curling my lip despite my effort to suppress it.

"What about him?"

"He's five. He should be talking by now, shouldn't he? And ignoring his nannies isn't normal either, right?"

"You're right. A child with normal development should be speaking and responding now." He grinned, putting his hands on his hips. "But what do you want me to do about it?"

I stopped fighting my sneer. "You tell me. You're the adult here."

Adrian knelt, getting closer to Nathaniel's level. Nathaniel's grip in my hand loosened as he tried to pull away, but I gripped him tight. He was safest near me.

"Well, he doesn't have any other children to talk to," Adrian said, eyeing Nathaniel, "but there is a program that might help. It's the Children's Development and Interaction program. It's supposed to help children learn to interact with others after traumatic experiences."

"He doesn't need therapy; he needs friends."

"Exactly. Here." Adrian waved a hand, gesturing one of his assistants over and took a screen from him. He tapped it a few times before handing it to me. On it were a series of children's faces, all with a name and a number beneath.

"What is this?" I asked, scrolling down the sea of young faces. Each photo was different, a girl sitting in a park, a boy holding up a crude painting, a girl who's cheeks were bright from cold.

"They're children who've been donated, in a way. Every child on that screen is dead." My gaze snapped up to meet his, but he continued. "Their parents decided to donate scans of their brains and personalities to construct AIs to help this program's cause. Like a memorial to the children almost."

I stared at the faces of the dead kids, trying to wrap my head around the idea of letting Nathaniel talk to digital echoes of people. It was wonderful, the perfect answer to my problem. But it was horrible, holding the echoes of children in limbo, using them as easily as copy and paste. But I didn't have any other options.

"How does this work?" I asked, looking back to Adrian.

"You can pick one or two of them: I recommend two. I will have them installed onto the computer of your home and screens. They will look exactly like normal children, but they'll only show up as projections in your home and images on your handhelds." Adrian tapped the screen, bringing up a photo of a see-through child, a soft glow surrounding them as they stood in a living room. "They won't have their actual AI personalities for a few weeks, but a therapist-like setting to get your brother accustomed to them. After that though, he can talk to them and play with them like normal children, only immaterial."

I nodded slowly. "I'll pick two by tonight."

"All right." Adrian said, standing up.

I turned to leave but Adrian's hand on my shoulder stopped me. "I have something to tell you." His voice lowered, more serious. I faced him and waited, bracing myself for what his tone implied. Red danced across Adrian's eyes as he smiled down on me. "You remember what this is?"

"Yes."

"You're going to have surgery in a few weeks to get one of your own."

My hand, despite holding Nathaniel's, felt like ice. Everything he'd been doing for the past two years was starting to come together. I'd suspected it for months now. I was growing ignorant of the normal world, but not stupid. All the constant training, the _choice_ , and now this. It stripped away what little hope I'd been clinging to, desperately hoping I was mistaken, but this took away my last sanctuary of denial.

Adrian watched me with a cold look, letting me piece it together before he spoke. "You understand. And you've been getting closer to the truth now. I suspect you know what's coming now." He knelt down again, looking me in the eye. "You'll need to stop this pathetic game you're playing and _let go_." He watched me for another moment before standing and walking back onto the training mat. "I'll speak with you again later."

I turned and walked back to the elevator, Nathaniel's hand in mine and the other gripping the screen. I didn't let myself think on the revelation. That would come later, after I was out of Nathaniel's sight. Numbness crawled across my mind as I leaned against the elevator wall. I couldn't find the motivation to stop Nathaniel from pressing every button he could reach.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I chose Mika and Rutile to be Nathaniel's new friends. They'd both died when they were seven, so a little older than Nathaniel, but that might be best. I didn't want the equivalent of two more chaotic children for the nannies to babysit. A child that was older would have more maturity, if only a little, but not old enough to be distant from Nathaniel.

I didn't look into their families or how they'd died, just stuck to their ages and personalities. Tapping the screen, I sent Adrian my decision as Nathaniel played with his toys on the carpet. One hour later, a panel opened on the glass wall next to me. The message 'to the guardian' scrolled across the dark square in soft white letters.

I stood from the carpet and walked over to tap the panel. The panel split, and two faces stared at me from the wall.

One was a boy, Mika. His hair, the color of a starless sky, fell to his shoulders. His warm eyes matched his chocolate skin and thick eyebrows. His calm smile, and eyes held a maturity beyond his age. The other face, Rutile, was a girl with pale skin, a mess of freckles and choppy short blond hair. Her green eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Hello," they said in unison, "are you the guardian of Nathaniel Velafied?"

"I am. And you're Mika and Rutile?"

"Yes, we will now temporarily shut down our therapy setting and introduce ourselves."

Mika blinked and gave me a warm smile. "Hello, I'm Mika."

I watched him, trying to see past the screen to the boy this was supposed to be. "Hello, Mika. I'm Nathaniel's older sister."

Mika nodded. "So is that Nathaniel?" Mika's eyes moved to look over my shoulder.

"Yes, that's him. So can you tell me what you're like?" I still watched the boy's eyes, realizing that the question of these children's minds would haunt me.

Mika shrugged. "Well I've been told I'm kind, calm, and I've heard 'mature for my age' pretty often."

"Hmm." I said, and looked to Rutile.

"Heya," she said, grinning.

"Rutile, right?"

"Yep, otherwise known as trouble. But I'm tons of fun. Nathaniel will have a great time when I'm around." She grinned, joy glittering in her eyes.

"I hope so. So, you should meet him now. You'll be returning to you 'therapy settings' for a while, right?"

Mika smiled softly. "Until Nathaniel is prepared for more natural child interactions, yes."

"Okay. Go ahead then."

Mika and Rutile's images vanished, and behind me a light flickered on. I turned to see two glowing figures, Mika and Rutile, standing in the room. Nathaniel froze, toys forgotten, and stared in confusion between the two children and me.

I knelt beside Nathaniel. "Nathaniel, these two are here to meet you. They want to be friends."

Mika knelt beside us, smiling warmly at my brother. "Hello Nathaniel. My name's Mika. It's great to meet you."

Rutile joined us, wearing a matching, plastic smile. "And I'm Rutile. Would you like to play?" Rutile held out a hand, and bubbles sprang from her palm. They were projections, like Rutile, but Nathaniel stared at them and reached out to grab one. It popped when he touched it and he laughed, reaching out to grab more of them.

I smiled, feeling some of the darkness lift from me as Nathaniel laughed. Despite my unease, I'd made the right decision. He'd needed this.

Getting to my feet, I left Nathaniel to get acquainted with his new companions. In the kitchen, I sat down and took a deep breath. I needed to start thinking about Nathaniel more. I was busy but that was no excuse. I was his big sister and I needed to take care of him. This antisocial issue wasn't his only problem, he needed school and hobbies too. I would need to ask Adrian about that.

My screen buzzed and I glanced down, a small seed of dread appearing in my core, and pulled the device from my pocket. A black box of text informed me that Adrian wanted to see me.

In the other room, Nathaniel laughed, but the sound did nothing to drive away the return of the dark weight in my heart.

**Present:**

There was a stillness to the night here I'd never experienced. A hush of human voices and crackle of fire replaced the roar of machinery. I walked down what I supposed was this world's equivalent of an alley. The back of wooden stalls and shops faced a narrow dirt road. The buzz of crowds slipped through cloth walls as shadows played across them and smoke rose from the chimneys.

There were plenty of torches and fire pits here, and I hadn't found a single electrical light. As I passed a man pulling a wooden cart, I realized, with some bemusement, that this world likely didn't have electricity at all. Which was terribly inefficient, considering all the manual labor and fuel everyone was burning to perform simple tasks that machinery could complete in less than half the time.

I'd chosen an alley to avoid the main street. Too many strange people and stares greeted me on the more crowded roads.

The System followed the lines of the streets I walked, calculating the lines and angles to formulate a map. I kept my back to the towering castle in the center of town in an attempt to find my way out of the maze of stalls and houses.

Eventually the alley gave way to small, dark houses. Then they grew sparser until I passed a dilapidated shack, the last structure before an open field. Knee-high grass stretched far into the distance, broken by the occasional grove of trees, until it met the mountains on the horizon. The moon hung above them, shining along with millions of stars.

I knew the city lights of Elpedite hid most of the stars, and so had the lights of the Hanshin republic, but I hadn't imagined that stars, not outshined by a city, looked like this. They scattered across the atmosphere like gleaming dust, shining white and blue.

Nathaniel would have loved to see this.

The grassland extended into the night without a sign of anyone else. I took a few steps before increasing my pace to a run. The grass hissed against my legs and boots as I left the town behind.

Setting myself at about ten miles an hour, I ran for at least twenty minutes, changing my pace as I needed. The System kept track of my heart rate and breathing, informing me of suggested corrections with a flash of small blue letters in my vision.

I slowed to a stop, panting as I looked back at the town. Dim lights flickered among the shadowed structures. The castle crouched above the other buildings, a shadow blocking the stars. A gentle breeze tugged at my hair and ran across the grass, rippling the field like the sea.

I stood, gazing into the night, and letting my breath return to normal. After a moment, I pulled off my jacket and laid down in the grass.

I was the only one out here, and the solitude helped me relax just a bit. Only the call of insects reported any life. The isolation guaranteed Adrian wouldn't be able to hide amongst a sea of faces, and I doubted he would wander out into a grassland.

The stars blinked at me as I stared at them, blades of grass brushing my face. Nathaniel's absence pulled at the edges of my thoughts, but I refused to let it pull me down. Tomorrow I would fight whatever battles needed to be won to keep moving, but until then there was no point in exhausting myself. Instead, I could order my thoughts.

The first unknown: what was so familiar about Syaoran's movement? Was it the speed of his strike, the arc of his leg, his stance? None on their own reminded me of any style I'd seen before. I plucked a blade of grass, keeping my fingers busy. So if it wasn't an individual component, that meant it must be the whole. Looking closer hadn't led anywhere, but what about an even larger picture? If I looked even farther than the fight, at Syaoran's movements in general. The way he walked, the way he moved . . . nothing I thought of told me anything. Until I thought about the way he turned to talk to me.

When he spoke to me, his head was angled a little farther to his right than necessary. The same way Nathaniel tilted his head.

_Syaoran is blind in his right eye._

It explained his sudden movement back in the market. He wouldn't have had a clear view of the man grabbing Sakura until she yelled.

I dropped the blade of grass, my frown deepening. The information was important, but I didn't know what to do with it. Syaoran seemed to be functioning well enough on his own. I made a note to watch for it in the future though. If I spotted an obvious weakness due to the issue, I would need to let him know.

I stared up at the stars, my mind falling silent for a brief time. But I couldn't keep order for long. A thought drifted through my head, persistent and scratching.

_These people are good people. And I'm not._

Syaoran was a boy simply trying to help his friend. Fai seemed goodhearted, willing to help out if he could. Sakura's gentle demeanor could be contributed to her condition, but that was probably just her personality. Kurogane's behavior clouded my perception of him, but he hadn't done anything blatantly bad. He postured and pouted, but in the end he willingly helped Syaoran without any true malice.

How long would I be able to maintain the appearance of being a normal girl? I'd already come off as strange, but I knew something about the way I saw the world was skewed. Adrian had gotten what he wanted, and for the past few years I'd gone numb. The things that used to tear at me barely crossed my mind anymore. I wasn't any better than Adrian.

But the hardest part was I didn't even know what was wrong. I didn't have an example of what a normal mental state might be. Regardless, I had no doubt something about me was fractured, like a broken bone that healed wrong, and that the others would find out what, even if I didn't. But hopefully, by then I would have found Nathaniel and we could stay at a safe world while the others moved on.

I sat up and sighed. I didn't know why I was hung up on this. All I had to do was travel with them until I found Nathaniel. Simple.

I stood, pulling my jacket back on and ending the pointless line of thought. I started back, sprinting back through the sea of grass to the flickering town. It was time to get a knife, and I knew how to get one for free. I didn't feel like trying to figure out this world's money system or worry about getting any.

Wading back into the maze of houses and low hanging smoke, I weaved back to one of the darker alleys I'd passed. I stopped at the start of the narrow street, looking around before unfastening my sword and climbing onto a crate against one of the shadowed buildings. I reached up, placing my sword on the roof before jumping back down and making sure it was out of sight.

Satisfied, I tucked my hands in my pockets, hunched my shoulders, and kept my eyes on the ground as I started down the alley.

Piles of garbage littered the edges of the road and thin, weak light occasionally flickered through the back of the buildings and onto the alley walls. I slowed when I passed the huddles of people leaning against the walls. But despite some dark looks and hushed mutters, they didn't stop me.

I was going to turn back when three more men came into view. I slowed again, but this time I got what I wanted. One of the men stopped talking to his companions when he saw me, leaning away from the wall to get a better look at me. "Hey, isn't she one of the foreigners from this morning?" he asked his friend. The man turned to look at me, along with the third man. A series of low mutters passed between them before they broke from the wall and blocked my way. "How about you come with us to see the Ryanban? I'm sure he'd love to talk to you."

I stopped, my gaze flicking over them before remembering I was supposed to be meek and cast my eyes at the ground. These men must have been part of a gang, or just the Ryanban's underlings. They wore borrowed power like a medal, and their crooked smiles and awkward stances, which were probably supposed to intimidate me, seemed comical in their incompetence.

"I'm not looking for trouble," I lied. "Would you mind letting me pass?" I held out my arms in a show of civility, and to keep a barrier between myself and any swung fists.

The man scoffed. "No, bitch. You'll be coming with us. If you behave we won't beat you to badly" He took a casual, unworried step towards me, hand outstretched.

I took three measured steps back, letting the man distance himself from his allies. I tilted my body, holding my left arm slightly closer to him and keeping my right one angled behind me. The man took my suggestion and latched onto my left arm.

He'd done exactly what I'd wanted, leaving his right side open and undefended. I broke my performance and pulled my left arm to the side, yanking him off balance while I slammed my right fist into his face.

He let go, staggering back a step and blinking as the System flickered on. I step forward, spun, and swung my foot into his head with a crack. He crumpled to the ground as his friends yelled, pulling knives from their shirts and running forward.

I sighed, relieved that this world used knives and not magic. I spun, running back down the alley and looking back at my pursuers every few feet. When one of the men outpaced his companion by several yards, I spun, skidding to a stop. He sprinted towards me and pulled his knife back. His form was pitiful. He broadcast his movements so early it would have left an amateur with plenty of time to block or move. This would have been easy even without the System. A blue arc curled across the space in front of the man: The System highlighting the blade's path.

I leaned back, as the man's knife hissed across the space I'd occupied. He slashed two more times before I caught his arm. I latched onto his wrist and kneed him in the stomach as I curled his hand in on itself, forcing the blade from his grasp.

I gripped the blade, flipped it, and slammed the hilt into his head, dropping him.

His companion filled the space he'd left, swinging at me in a horizontal arc. I flipped the knife again, blade out, and caught his blow on the blue path he'd projected. The metal screamed as the knives clashed before I stopped their momentum.

The man blinked at me as his arm shook, trying to force mine into yielding. "But you're just a kid! What the— Blue— Your eyes? What's wrong with your eyes?" His face contorted as he looked into my eyes.

I took advantage of his bafflement and drove my fist into his nose. He gasped and stumbled back, his hand shaking. I kicked the knife from his grasp, sending it bouncing off the side of a wall and onto the dirt.

He stared at me for a second, blinking and trying to dam the flow of blood from his nose. I waited to see what he'd choose. I had what I wanted, so if he wanted to leave, I had no problem.

He turned and ran, only the sound of his feet on dirt reporting his escape. I watched him disappear around a corner.

A moment later I realized I was smiling. The realization chased the expression away and left me cold.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Quietly, I slid the door to 's house shut. The others slept on the floor in futons, except for Kurogane, who was slumped against the wall with his arms crossed. His eyes were closed, but his breathing and heartbeat were too fast for him to be asleep. I'd woken him, despite my effort to keep silent.

I let him be and sat against the wall next to the door. After claiming my new knives, I'd retrieved my sword and wandered a few back streets before returning here. I had a rough map of the city now. It was circular, with the Ryanban's castle in the center and houses of decreasing wealth spreading out from it. However even the nicest houses seemed to be in disrepair. The Ryanban must have been making trouble for everyone, indiscriminant of wealth or social status. Which meant his reign wouldn't be a long one, regardless of his magic. Adrian had taught me that power was maintained with a calculated balance of fear of punishment and reward for following orders. Raining down fear with little reward for loyalty would destroy a leader's position eventually.

I pulled out my knives, one seven inches and the other nine, letting the System analyze their angles and strength. The crude blades would only be useful for cutting, attempting to use them for deflecting bullets would be disastrous as the bullet would shatter the metal. Their composition and build would barely hold against a blade from my world, but they would do for now.

"Did you steal those?" Kurogane asked, his eyes open now.

I slid the nine-inch blade into the empty sheath on my belt. It wasn't an exact fit, but it would work. "Yes. If you have the traditional sense of what is and isn't stealing." I tucked the other knife into my jacket.

He raised an eyebrow. "And what would the nontraditional sense be?"

"If a person decides to take away the human rights of another, they forfeit their own. Including their right to own things. I got attacked and took compensation. I wasn't stealing because they didn't have the right to own anything anymore."

"That's an interesting way of looking at it."

"Apparently." I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes.

"I don't see any blood on you."

"I wasn't injured."

"That wasn't what I was getting at."

"The thugs didn't leave unharmed, if that's what you're asking. But I didn't kill anyone."

"Hm." Kurogane shifted and shut his eyes again.

I sighed, staring through the ragged hole in the roof. The edge of the moon, a cold sliver of silver, peeked into the house. Together we waited for morning.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The sun shone hot and bright onto Kurogane and I as the report of hammer falls passed between us. Kurogane and I perched on Chu'Nyan's roof, repairing the hole the wind storm had left. Fai was in the house below us, occasionally passing up boards or nail and sipping his tea in-between.

Chu'Nyan, Syaoran, Sakura, and Mokona had left this morning to explore the city and see if Mokona could detect a feather. Mokona had said he felt something, but was unsure. However, the Ryanban's sudden rise to power seemed a bit too miraculous, and with the timing, too coincidental.

The sun burned off the roof and ground in waves, so I'd removed my jacket, leaving me in a tank top, before starting on the roof. I grabbed another tile from the stack and set it in place, the System highlighting the best space to set it with a blue square.

"Alice-san?" Fai called up to me, shielding his eyes with a hand.

"Yes?" I asked, slamming my hammer down.

"I have a question about The System, if you don't mind. You told us what it does, but could you explain what it _is_? I've gathered that it's not magic, but I can't think of another explanation."

I grimaced at the nail in my hand. "Do you know what a computer is?"

"No, I can't say I do."

I raised an eyebrow at Kurogane.

"I don't have a clue," he said.

"It's . . . a machine that thinks. But it doesn't think like a person. Not the System anyway. It thinks in numbers, angles, distance, and probabilities. It helps with things like this." I gestured to the roof with my hammer. "It uses my eyes and measures the difference between them to calculate depth, then other things like angles and lengths. Then it highlights the most structurally sound place for each tile."

"How do you get it to do that?" Kurgane asked.

I shrugged. "The same way you move your arm, or hear the sound of me talking. You just do."

"What happens if it breaks?" Kurogane asked.

"It can't. There are three separate control centers in my brain that make sure if one malfunctions, the others will shut it down and repair it immediately."

"I assume it wouldn't be pleasant for you if it broke or shut down," Fai said, taking a sip from his tea.

"Yes, but there's the safety check. If the System shuts down from say, a lack of power, it shuts down completely just before the battery is completely empty. If the shutdown wasn't controlled, then some parts could still affect me, interfering with my reflexes or sight."

"Somebody put a lot of thought into that," Fai said.

The conversation fell into silence as Kurogane and I hammered away. I muffled _thunk_ and a hissed cursed made me glance up.

Kurogane shook his hand, his thumb bright red. "Why are we working on her roof again?"

Fai handed me a board, smiling despite Kurogane's pain. "She let us stay over at her place last night. This is something nice to do in return, isn't it?"

"But . . . a kid like that living on her own." Kurogane said, his anger dying away. I glanced up at Kurogane before returning to my work, jaw clenched.

"Well, Chu'Nyan did say her mother died . . . " Fai said.

"Okay," Kurogane said, "so how long do we need to stay here for?"

"That's up to Mokona."

"About that," Kurogane said, "is it all right to take the princess out like this? You never know if she's rowing the boat or asleep at the oar." It was a good point. Sakura wasn't always lucid, so dragging her into a busy market might not be the best idea.

When Fai answered, his upbeat tone had vanished. "She doesn't have enough memories yet to return to the old Sakura-chan again. She's only been able to retrieve two feathers. Even if a few of her memories have returned, she doesn't really have her will or consciousness back. Not the Sakura-chan we're traveling with now. That's why we- the two of us who are just here to travel between worlds- can't really object. And even if she gets all her feathers back, she'll never be able to remember Syaoran-kun."

The air between us grew somber, and I could understand the pain of Syaoran and Sakura's predicament. But at the same time, I felt a strange distance from Syaoran's reaction. Sakura was alive, wasn't she? There was a future for them. Wasn't that enough?

Fai continued, "But Syaoran-kun's still searching isn't he? He's going to travel all the words and find Sakura-chan's scattered fragments of memory, no matter how painful it will be for him in the end." Fai's cheerful tone returned. "In any case, it's our job to make repairs while waiting for them to come home."

Kurogane leaned over to look into the house and at Fai. "So . . . " he said, eyes narrowed, "how does that give you the right to relax and drink tea?"

Fai laughed. "But I'm supervising Kuro-pippi's hard work."

"The hell do you mean 'supervising my work?' What about the brat across from me!" he yelled, pointing at me. I raised an eyebrow as Fai laughed.

"Alice-san seems far more responsible than you Kuro-pin," He said, grinning, which of course caused another round of yelling from Kurogane. I focused on my work, waiting for his tirade to end. After a few more minutes of grumbling Kurogane stomped down the ladder, leaving me alone on the roof.

I raised my hammer, about to bring it down when I heard a distant howling to my right. I stood and shielded my eyes, looking for the source of the sound. About a block away a violent swirling storm spiraled like a drill into a clearing between some of the buildings. I checked the rough map I'd laid out the night before. _That's the market. Shit._

"What is it, Alice-san?" Fai asked.

"A wind storm just tore through the market," I said, climbing down the ladder.

Fai grimaced, rising to his feet. "Well, that's not good."

"I'm going to check on them," I said, pulling on my jacket and picking up my sword.

"Well, I'm coming." Kurogane said, throwing his hammer over his shoulder. "Anything to avoid this crap."

I nodded and left the house, Fai and Kurogane behind me. We weaved between houses, following the fastest route. We rounded the final corner and found the market ravaged. Stalls were broken in half, their awnings torn, wares littered the street, and people huddled to the sides.

Syaoran crouched on the ground, blood streaming from his forehead. Sakura was at his side with Chu'Nyan, both of them staring at the Ryanban's son. The man laughed in the middle of street, hands on his hips.

Chu'Nyan stood. "You have to call for Daddy when you're losing a fight? You're pathetic!"

I walked to stand by Chu'Nyan and the others. "So he called the wind again, huh?"

Syaoran glanced up at me. "Yeah. I tried to fight him but . . . "

Watching the man laughing in the middle of the chaos made me grit my teeth. A familiar anger crept into my veins, tensing my muscles and curling my fists.

"Mokona," I said, "Have you figured out if there's a feather here or not?"

Mokona shook his head. "Mokona can't tell. It's still too fuzzy."

"Which means we'll have to assume the Ryanban has one. Right then." I stepped forward, away from the others and into the middle of the street.

I wanted to see how I fared against an opponent with magic. Syaoran weathered his fight with the man without being severely injured. I had more skill than Syaoran, so I'd likely have a better time fighting this man. So, if I was going to test out my skills against magic attacks, this was a good place to start. This enemy was predictable, stupid, and had already shown off his strength. A man this power hunger wasn't going to hold back, so I doubted he had any surprises. And we would be going after the Ryanban and his son soon, so there was no point in holding back.

The man stopped laughing, eyeing me as I glared at him. "What do you want? Are you stupid?" He asked, blinking at me. I thought about saying something about the feather to startle a reaction out of him, but I didn't want to give the Ryanban any warning about what we were after.

The man narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute. You're the one who beat up my lackeys last night."

"Yes. That was me."

The man grinned. "I guess I'll have to beat some respect into you. And I'll be taking that sword too."

"Okay, take it." I flipped my sword and tossed it to him, hilt first.

He gasped and stepped back, letting the blade hit the dirt before picking it up. "What are you up to?"

"I'm testing something."

"You—Fine! Come and see how your test goes." He swung my sword to point at me. His stance was unbalanced and his grip on the sword was showy and loose. Running the System up to full power, I waited for the man to lose his concentration. I didn't have any doubt he was unpracticed in sword fighting and hand-to-hand, but the magic he wielded concerned me.

The man stared at me, brows drawn and nose flaring. "Well? Come—"

I darted forward, closing the gap between us before he swung my sword at me in a wide arc, air hissing against the blade. I ducked, coming up just after the sword passed over my head, and slamming the heel of my palm into his wrist, breaking his grip. The sword spun from his hand, landing in the dirt behind me with a _thunk_. I didn't give the man any time to process what I'd done, and drove my fist into his stomach, sending him stumbling back.

Kurogane snorted, but I kept my eyes on the man, my fists raised.

The Ryanban's son gasped in a breath, shooting me a vicious glare. He flicked his wrist, an ornate fan snapping open in his hand. He swung the fan down, a wave of wind roared from the fan, towards me.

I dove for the ground next to a stall, wedging myself in the corner of the wooden frame and the ground. I put my curled my arms over my head and braced myself. A moment later, the wind roared over me, rattling the stalls and snapping the fabrics.

But my hair fluttered in the air, more like it was drifting through water, rather than being torn at by a gale. I pulled my hands away from my head in confusion, staring at the world around me. The stalls swayed in the wind. The others had shielded their faces against the dust and force of the whirlwind. But my hands didn't waver against it, instead the gale wound gently between my fingers.

I stood, holding a hand out in front of me. The wind snapped my clothes, but it didn't threaten to pick me up or throw me into the nearest stall. Compared to the people and objects around me, the wind was barely touching me.

Turning to locate the Ryanban's son, I found him and we locked eyes. He stared at me, mouth open as bits of cloth and wood whipped past me. I turned to face him, and charged. He took a step back, preparing to flee as his confused expression turned to fear.

But before I could reach him, the System's warning lit up my vision half a second before a ceramic pot, flung by the wind, shattered against the side of my face. Pain exploded through my head, stopping my advance. I dropped to a knee as the wind died around me and I tried to stop the road from spinning. I blinked past the blood trickling into my eye as the Ryanban's son ran down the road and out of sight.

Standing, I wiped the blood from my vision and put pressure on the cut on my eyebrow. That was stupid of me. Of course there would be debris. I plucked a shard of pottery from my collar as the others joined me.

"That was great Alice-san." Fai said, he and Mokona clapping.

"Yeah," Kurogane said, "until you got taken down by a pot."

"Yes," I sighed. "I know that was stupid. I'll be more aware if it happens again."

"But that was interesting. How did you do it?" Fai asked, tilting his head.

I shrugged. "I didn't do anything. I just noticed the wind felt more like a draft."

"Hmm." Fai slowly nodded.

"Hey, your friend needs medical attention." Chu'Nyan snapped. Syoaran protested as she tried to help him up, waving a hand, but Chu'Nyan persisted.

"What happened?" Fai asked, taking Syaoran's other side.

"I injured my foot when he called the first wind storm." Syaoran said as Fai and Chu'Nyan turned around with Syaoran, starting back to her house.

On the way back, Sakura, Syaoran, and Chu'Nyan recounted the events of their visit to the market and the ensuing battle. Apparently the Ryanban's son had been about to beat an old man and young woman for not paying an impossible tax, when Sakura had jumped in the way. Syaoran had thrown himself in front of her, which caused the fight between the man and Syaoran. Syaoran had been winning, until the wind storm hit.

Sakura sat with Syaoran, bandaging his ankle as Chu'Nyan sat with the rest of us. "The Ryanban stole that fan from my mother. It's how the Ryanban's son has been keeping people under control." Chu'Nyan looked and the floor and clenched her fists.

"Even so, why haven't the townspeople risen up yet?" I asked. A leader, no matter how powerful, couldn't slave drive their citizens before their people rebelled, left, or died.

"We've tried a lot," Chu'Nyan said, "But we were never able to set one finger on the Ryanban. The Ryanban's castle has some kind of magic around it. Nobody was able to get close."

Fai turned to Mokona. "That accounts for the strange energy that Mokona sensed, doesn't it?"

Mokona nodded. "With all the weird power around, Mokona can't tell if there is a power wave from the feather or not."

Fai turned to Chu'Nyan. "What about that son of his? Have you considered holding him hostage?"

I nodded but Kurogane grimaced. "Isn't that idea a little late in coming?"

Chu'Nyan shook her head. "We can't! The Ryanban uses magic to watch every part of the town of Ryonfi! If anything happens to his son . . . "

Fai crossed his arms and looked at Syaoran. "Just like what happened with Syaoran-kun yesterday and today, hm? You'd get hit with a magical attack." Fai paused, his smile falling to a thoughtful frown. "I think it's likely the Ryanban has found a feather."

Syaoran's eyebrows shot up as he glanced at Fai.

Kurogane crossed his arms. "That wouldn't add up. It was only a short time ago that the feathers were scattered, right?"

"We're in different dimensions. It's possible that time flows differently in each of them," Fai said.

_Now even time is bending? Wonderful._ I rubbed the bridge of my nose, but dropped my hand when something occurred to me. I'd never seen the power source Adrian found, only where it had been kept. A small container, with a window that let out a glow. Adrian had found it weeks ago, but if time could be bent between worlds, then that exclusion was void.

"Syaoran," I said. "What caused the explosion in my world: it could have been one of Sakura's feathers."

Syaoran's eyes widened. "Really? Where would it be now?"

"I'm not sure." I frowned. "It could be in Elpedite, my world, or it could have been blown to random world like myself, or . . . or Adrian could have it." The idea that Adrian could still have the feather, if it was one, fell like a cold shadow across my back. If the feather could give an overwhelming amount of power to that kudan back in the Hanshin republic, then Adrian could use it for unlimited monstrosities.

"Thank you for letting me know, Alice-san." Syaoran said, smiling.

I nodded. "But we should focus on the feather that might be here for now."

Syaoran nodded and stood. "I'm going to the castle. And if the Ryanban has a feather, I'm taking it."

"Wait!" Sakura cried, grabbing his arm. Sakura's eyes were brighter, more lucid than they'd been in hours. "Syaoran-kun, you're wounded!"

He smiled at her. "I'll be fine. If there's a feather, I'll get it back for you."

Sakura frowned, but hesitantly let go of Syaoran's arm. She didn't look happy with Syaoran's decision, but she probably realized she couldn't stop him. It was a smart decision, and I felt a sprout of respect for her grow within me. For a moment, she reminded me of Nathaniel.

"Wait a moment," Fai said, holding a hand up. Syaoran tensed, but Fai waved. "You can relax. I'm not trying to stop you. It's just . . . the magic of the Ryanban is pretty strong. If you simply walk there, you'll never succeed. At the very least, we'll need enough power to create an entrance to that castle."

"Can't you do something about that?" Kurogane asked.

Fai beamed. "Impossible!"

Kurogane glowered at Fai's cheer.

"Mokona will ask!" The little creature bounced onto the floor.

I had time to raise an eyebrow before Mokona shot a beam of light from the jewel on his forehead. The light condensed into an image of Yuuko, her back to us.

She turned, "Ah? Mokona . . . how are you?"

Chu'Nyan, Sakura, and Syaoran all jumped back. "It talked!" they cried.

_Well that's convenient._ I wasn't surprised. Video chat was the primary form of communication in Elpedite, but apparently that that wasn't true for some of my companions.

Kurogane sputtered, staring at the woman's image.

"Mokona sure is convenient at times," Fai said. He was the only one in the room besides me that didn't react in bewilderment.

"Convenient?" Kurogane snapped at him. "There a limit to how convenient things should be!"

"Relax, this is normal in my world. Well, the moving image part anyway," I said. "Yuuko, we're having some magic trouble. We could use your advice."

"Oh?" She smiled. "What trouble would that be?"

Syaoran, recovered from his distress, spoke. "We think there's a feather in the castle of this town. And the ruler is using the feather's power to abuse this place."

"I see," She said. "So you have to break through the magic to enter the castle?"

"That's the problem." Fai said.

"Why would you need to contact me? Fai can use magic, can't he?" she asked Fai with a raised eyebrow.

"I turned over the source of my magic to you."

She frowned. "The markings held your magical power in check. Your magic now is what it was originally meant to be."

I glanced at Fai, who kept his eyes on Yuuko. _Interesting. He didn't want us to know what they really did. He'd purposely lied to Yuuko about them, hoping she'd play along._ 'Held his magical power in check' made his power sound unstable and destructive. Between this and Fai's battle in the Hanshin Republic, he was beginning to look more dangerous than Kurogane.

"Despite that," Fai's smile faltered, "without those markings who could expect one to be able to wield their magic."

"Fine." Yuuko said. "I'll hand over something that will help break the magic arts surrounding the castle. But I'll expect payment in return."

"But we don't have anything to give you," Syaoran said.

But Fai stood and pulled his staff from the wall where he'd left it earlier. "How will this do? It's a magical device. Can you use it?" Maybe this was his way of trying to make up for the lie? I could overlook the secrecy, but I would remember the implications of the revelation.

Yuuko nodded. "Send it through Mokona."

Mokona's mouth expanded as Fai offered him the staff, swallowing the whole thing. I blinked, sighing as I dismissed it as more magic. Mokona shrank back down to his normal dimensions a moment later. A second later, Mokona's mouth opened again and a compact, black object rocketed out. The object smacked into Syaoran's waiting hand. He now held a small dark orb, smoky spirals curled beneath its marble-like surface.

Syaoran held the orb up to the light. "This will defeat the castle's magic?"

Yuuko nodded. "Aim carefully at whatever the barrier may be, and it should do the rest."

"All right," I said, "If no one has an issue with it, I say we get this done now. The Ryanban knows we've been going after his son, and I don't want to wait around for him to come after us."

Syaoran walked to the door. "Let's go."

As Syaoran and I headed for the door Fai grabbed one of the sets of clothes Sakura had won. "Kuro-pu and I will be out in a minute."

I stepped out of the house as Kurogane growled, "Why do I have to wear that?"

Chu'Nyan and Sakura leaned against the stone wall surrounding Chu'Nyan's yard, talking quietly as we waited. Syaoran stood next to me in silence. "Syaoran, can I see the orb for a moment?" I asked. I wanted to see condensed magic up close. So far the magic I'd seen had taken the form of giant beasts, destroyed buildings, or carried people through the air, but this looked like a large marble, neutral and inactive.

"Oh, sure," Syaoran said, handing me the orb.

I reached out and took it with my right hand. I had my gloves on, but the second the orb fell into my palm, it felt like fire lanced across my hand. I flinched, but managed to keep my composure. I didn't want to risk dropping the orb, and breaking it or activating it.

Instead the moment I felt the pain, I glanced at Syaoran's palm. It was unscathed, and he hadn't said anything, so it probably didn't hurt him. I grabbed his hand, pulling it back over before setting the orb back into his palm. The moment the orb left my hand, the pain receded to a faint throb. Syaoran blinked, looking back and forth from me to the orb. I carefully pulled away my glove, revealing my glaring red hand. The System classified it as first degree burn, but borderline second degree.

"What happened?" Syaoran asked, frowning in concern.

"I'm not sure. When I grabbed the orb it burned me. Even through my gloves." I inspected my palm, and had the System check for any abnormalities, but it seemed like it was just a burn. It would heal within thirty-six hours.

"Well, that's strange," Fai said, walking towards us with Kurogane.

"That doesn't happen for the rest of you, does it?" I asked, slowly pulling my glove back on.

Fai tapped the orb. "Nope."

Syaoran shook his head. "I don't feel any heat."

I rolled the fact over. It was the third inconsistence I'd found now. In the Hanshin Republic, everyone had a kudan but me, in the market the magic wind didn't harm me like it had Syaoran, and now this marble burned me while to the others it was a harmless orb.

"I'll be avoiding magic then." I flexed my hand, testing the burn against my glove. It was unpleasant, but not unbearable. I'd use my left hand for the day, but if I had to use the right one, I could push past the pain.

"This won't be a problem, will it?" Kurogane asked, tugging on the collar of his new robe.

"No, I'm ambidextrous. Let's go," I said, turning to walk out of the yard.

Chu'Nyan started walking with us. "Isn't it dangerous to leave Sakura-chan alone? Who's staying with her?"

Fai stopped, eyebrows raised. "You're staying with her." His tone wasn't demanding, but more like the answer was obvious.

Fai's calm reply was met with explosive aggression. "No!" Chu'Nyan shouted. "I want to go with you!"

"The Ryanban's castle is protected by some powerful magic," Fai said softly. "This is going to be dangerous."

"I'm prepared for that! I'm going!" she yelled, clenching her fists.

Fai smiled and rubbed his forehead. "Hm. I'm not getting through to her." He looked over to Kurogane, his gaze expectant.

Kurogane's head spun to face the street so fast I expected to hear his neck break. "I don't have any talent for explaining things to kids."

"Because you're so shy?" Fai teased. Kurogane stiffened, but remained silent.

Realizing her efforts were fruitless, Chu'Nyan grabbed Syaoran by the arms and looked up desperately. "I'm going to go and take down that Ryanban. I have to avenge my Omoni. I'm going with you!" Her voice started to break. "It's okay, isn't it? Syaoran!"

Syaoran pulled away from her, his face like stone. "No," he said "You will stay here."

Chu'Nyan looked towards me, I waited by the entrance to the courtyard. "Alice?" she choked out. I silently pushed off from my position against the wall and followed Syaoran from the courtyard. I didn't feel like arguing with a vengeful child and we had a dictator to kill. I liked the easier option.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: This is the updated version of chapter six. (5/16/17)

**Six years ago:**

For several minutes my mind buzzed with wordless consciousness. Then I grew aware of the sound of my breaths. Slow and steady, I focused on them. Then the faint blips of a heart monitor drove me back to thought and action.

My eyes snapped open as I tried to sit up. But I found I could only rise a few inches from the bed before falling back. I gasped as a woman in a lab coat rose from her chair across the room. "Relax," she said, walking over to me. "You've been asleep for a while, but you're fine. The surgery was a success." The small room glared white and all I could see inside was my bed, a desk, and a computer. Two chairs lined the wall to the left of my bed.

"Surgery?" I croaked, attempting to push myself up again. I tried to remember why I was here, but found a dark haze where my memories should be. My heartbeat drummed against the back of my eyes.

"I know you're disoriented," the doctor said, "but don't move. You're on a lot of painkillers, so you feel fine, but you need to rest." She left me and walked back to her screen and tapped it a few times.

"What is it?" Adrian's voice came from the screen.

"She's awake," the woman said.

I looked down at myself. Most of my body was hidden beneath a blanket, but my arms were free. I lifted a hand and found a tangle of tubes growing plant-like from my arm and running to an IV bag. A cut, woven with stitches like spider legs, formed a T along the inside of my arm, with the horizontal line just under my wrist and the stem of the T trailing down and disappearing under my shirt sleeve.

My other arm bore the same cuts, but as I flexed my hands I couldn't feel a thing. I watched in distant fascination as the cuts stretched along with the skin of my arm. Air cooled my scalp and I ran a hand over my head to find myself shaved bald.

"Look at me." The doctor appeared a few inches if front of me, shining a light into my eyes as I blinked at her. Satisfied with my blank stare, she turned to the screen next to my IV bag and started scrolling through my heart monitor, blood pressure, and the pressure in my brain.

A click sounded across the room. I looked up to see the door in the corner of the room open, and Adrian step in. "Sleep well?" he asked. He wore a simple white collared shirt, his usual suit missing.

"How long was I out?" I asked, finally managing to prop my back against the headboard.

"Two weeks. We discussed this before. Do you remember?" Adrian asked, taking a seat on the chair next to the bed.

"No. But she said I'm on painkillers. That they're making me feel strange." My hand flopped on the blanket as I tried to gesture to the woman.

"Yes. I had them dialed back about an hour ago, so your mind should be clearing up. Now," Adrian held up a screen, on it was the word BLUE written in green, "what color is this word."

"Blue. No, green," I said, blinking at the screen as I fought to focus.

"Now solve this." On the screen in bold black font displayed 12 + 7 = ? I started with twelve and counted up with my fingers. I lost track twice and had to start over, counting under my breath. "Nineteen," I said, louder.

"Right." Adrian swiped to the next question. A picture of twisting lines and dots had a blank square removed form the center. Below it, four similar patterns waited, in the shape of the missing section. "Which pattern belongs here?"

I scanned the pattern, following the coils and dots before tapping the pattern I thought matched.

"Good," Adrian said, pulling the screen away. "What's your name?"

I answered him and he nodded. "And your brother's name?"

"Nathaniel," I said.

"What's my name?"

"Adrian. You're asking me to make sure you didn't kill half my brain cells." The last part was more an attempt at organizing my thoughts than a question. Adrian smirked, watching me muddle through my own mind.

I stared at my palms and flexed my hands. "I remember you told me I was going to have surgery. To get a System. I have machines in me now." I stared at the scars on my skin in fascinated revulsion. There were wires under my skin now. In my arms, legs, spine, and eyes.

In my brain.

I swung my feet off the bed and as my legs appeared from beneath the blanket I saw the same cuts running up them. The doctor walked forward, a warning on her lips, but Adrian raised an arm to stop her, watching me with an expectant smile.

Pushing myself off of the bed, I set my feet on the cold tile and locked my legs. That worked for a few seconds, numbness masking the cold of the tiles. Then my legs buckled under me, sending me into a tangled heap on the floor.

I panted, giving myself a minute to recover, and pushed myself onto my hands and knees. It felt like my whole body was asleep, fuzzy and distant. Clenching my teeth, I stood. Adrian gave me a proud grin.

"I want to see Nathaniel." Nathaniel was probably experiencing a meltdown. I made sure to see him at least once a day, so two weeks without me left one of the few consistencies of his life gone.

"You can't yet. You have to wait here for another week."

"Why? And where are we?" I collapsed back on the bed, giving up the fight against my exhaustion.

"You need to be watched for complications. We did go rooting around in your brain after all. You can't see Nathaniel because he's at the facility. We're in a medical center roughly 500 miles west of it."

I grimaced, but there was no fighting this. The only thing I could do was rest. If I didn't give them a reason to delay, I could leave in a week.

"You should lay down," the doctor said. "You need to give your body time to recover."

I nodded and laid back.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Two days passed without complications. I rested when I was told, ate, and exercised. My body's fragility was alarming, but I regained my strength quickly. I took walks in the small garden outside the center to get away from the gray halls.

Beyond the grey medical center, a dark forest of pines stretched all the way to a mountain range in the distance. A similar view surrounded the whole building, with no sign of human habitation. I liked the view, but a small part of me found it unnerving. The staff I saw in the building rarely made eye contact, and awkward silences hung around the groups I passed.

On the third day my breakdown started.

The only people I'd seen at this medical facility were me, Adrian, seven doctors, and anywhere from ten to thirty nondescript men and women in black shirts and pants with TOR rifles. Adrian was the only person I talked to besides the doctors, those conversations fixed only on my healing.

I sat in the grass, my white, cotton medical shirt and pants blowing in the wind as I watched the forest. Adrian lounged in a chair next to me, reading a book. We'd been here for about an hour in silence. I ran a thumb over the scar on my left arm, wrinkling my nose in disgust.

"How do you feel?" Adrian asked.

I sighed. "Fine. For the hundredth damn time, fine."

"I would have expected you to feel something by now. Maybe you've found it easier to open doors, or you've seen a flicker of light across your vision?"

"No."

Adrian's book snapped shut. "Then maybe you feel repulsed or scared. I'll remind you: I'm the only other person who's gone through this."

My lip curled at the thought. "Of course I feel repulsed. Leave me alone." I clenched and unclenched my hands. Deciding I was done tolerating him, I stood and walked back towards the building. Adrian went back to his book, ignoring me as I passed.

I got to the door and reached for the knob. I grabbed it, turned it, pulled the door open and took a step.

Something jerked me to a stop before I could get beyond the door frame. Blinking, I turned in confusion to face the door. My hand still held the knob, with my wrist bent around the door at an awkward angle. I stood frozen, staring at my hand. Why was it there?

I tried to let go, but found that my hand only twitched. Fear knifed through me as I stepped back around the door, straightening my wrist. Tugging, I tried moving my arm instead of just my hand. Sparks of pain erupted in my hand and wrist as my grip tightened against my will.

I cried out at the pain, watching my knuckles grow white as my hand continued to tighten around the knob, my muscles burning in protest. I yelled again, tugging at my hand with my free one.

"Relax," Adrian said, appearing behind me and resting a hand on my shoulder. With his other hand he held a screen up to his ear. "Come to the west yard now, and bring a tranquilizer."

My shoulders shook as I wrenched at my hand. Pain lanced through my frozen fingers, my muscles screaming a message for me to stop.

"You need to relax," Adrian said again. "The System is misinterpreting your panic. You're making it worse."

I shook my head and threw my body away from the door, but my hand still held. Adrian sighed, gripped my free arm and tugged me back to my feet. A man in a lab coat sprinted over, needle in hand. "Use it now," Adrian said to him.

The man nodded and stuck the needle into my arm. A few minutes later, I was asleep.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"That was expected," Adrian said. "Your System is still trying to adjust to understanding your brainwaves. Some miscalculations were anticipated."

I flexed my hands, waiting for the faintest twitch or muscle spasm. None came. I stood from the bed. "I'll be outside."

In the garden I sat hunched in the grass, watching the wind shift the trees. A security guard leaned against the nearest wall of the building, facing me.

I wanted to call Nathaniel, but Adrian refused to give me my screen. But calling him would be a bad idea anyway. He'd want me to come back immediately, but he wouldn't understand why I couldn't. I ran my hands over the fuzz of my hair and took a deep breath.

My hands were warm against my head, but they felt alien somehow. The memory of the lack of control kept circling over my thoughts. I flexed my hands without issue, but the feeling didn't leave.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at my hands. I couldn't control them. It had only lasted a minute, the equivalent of a severe muscle spasm, but the event rooted in me like a weed.

That, and the memory of Mika and Rutile mixed within me to yield an ugly inkling. I tried to drown it, but Adrian's insistence that I couldn't call Nathaniel, Mika, or Rutile only made my fear grow.

_Am I a machine?_ The thought chased itself through my head until an alarm went off next to me, jolting me and reminding me that I needed to visit one of the doctors.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Blue eyes stared back at me as I looked in the mirror. My hands planted on either side of the glass. Was I myself? Was I _here_? How could I tell? Mika and Rutile had all those fake memories. What guarantee did I have that mine were real?

I knew Adrian wanted to use me for fighting. So wouldn't it be better to have a machine than a flawed human child? Everything familiar had vanished, replaced by this facility. Adrian was the only person I recognized here. I clenched my hands into fists, my breath growing irregular.

If I were a machine, then would I be able to feel pain? I slammed a hand against the sink, and a spark of pain greeted me. But I knew pain could be simulated and I wouldn't know the difference. I had to look deeper.

I drew my hand back and smashed the mirror. Flashing shards burst from the frame, tinkling into the sink and onto the floor. I snatched one from the basin and slashed it across my palm.

A line of blood oozed from the cut, dripping from my palm and into the sink. Droplets of red trickled into the sink, falling among the mirror shards. I bled, so I must be a living person, right? But so what if I was flesh? Wouldn't it be possible to carve out the frontal lobe and replaced it with a computer? And they definitely operated on my head: my scars confirmed it.

If my consciousness was a program, then I wouldn't be created with the capability to harm myself, right? I slashed at my palm again. Another gash opened across my palm as more blood dotted the rim of the sink.

_I wouldn't be able to kill myself._

The thought froze me. The shard in my fingers winked at me as blood dripped off its edge, daring me to test the thought. I could put the glass down, guarantee nothing, and continue down the road my life was becoming. Or I could prove myself real and do it, end my doubts, my life, and leave Nathaniel behind.

I flung the shard into the sink and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind me.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"What triggered that incident yesterday?" Adrian asked, sitting across from me at the table.

"What incident?" I asked, staring at the sandwich in my bandaged hand.

"You have slashes across your palm and left a mess in your sink. Why?" He glared at me. "Your health is very important to me."

I returned his glare and dropped my sandwich, resting my elbows on the table. "I know you want me to fight. Why not use machines?"

His eyes narrowed to green slivers for a moment, flicking over my features. "Ah," he said, his smirk returning. "You're asking if you're a computer." He leaned back and drew his screen from his pocket. "About ten years ago I had the idea to make a robot army. So I did. A group of ten robots, prototypes for the battlefield. They worked wonderfully, too: great aim, nearly endless energy, and no hesitation."

He turned his screen and held it out to me. On it was a photo of ten shining bodies. Where they should have had faces, a silver dome and two black dots stared out. The rest of their bodies were as polished and featureless as a mirror. "But before I sent them to fight, I had to be sure no one else could take control of them. I brought in some of the best professionals in hacking in the country, and I challenged them to take control of my robots. The prototypes all got their instructions from one source, a mother computer. Three of the professionals succeeded. My army no longer worked for our mother computer. I ended the project."

Adrian's eyes met mine as his smile grew. "So I thought: I already have a human army, with minds immune to hacking. But they are only human. So what was the perfect middle ground? Something I could control from a distance, with the strength and reaction time of a machine and the capability to make its own rational decisions."

"Me. The System," I said, understanding sending conflicting shudders of relief at my humanity and horror of the future up my spine.

Adrian gave me a frigid smile.

**Present:**

The Ryanban's castle loomed over us, its high marble walls and set of doors radiated hostility.

"Here we are," Fai said as he marched up to the doors. "No wasting time. Let's get in there!"

Syaoran glanced from the walls of the castle to the doors. Kurogane stepped up to the door and set his shoulder against it. I placed my palms on the other side and together we pushed.

"I don't think that's going to work," Fai protested, but the doors creaked open before he could finish. After they finished swinging open, I had to take several steps back, staring at the sight beyond the doorway, trying to process it.

"What the hell!" Kurogane yelled, taking a step back as well.

Beyond the doorway, a sea of clouds billowed out, forming the ground. Above, where a sky should have opened, hung an upside-down town with small wooden homes like the structures of this country. My gaze flicked between the clouds, town, and doorway as I ran my thoughts in circles, trying to rationalize it.

"Weird! Weird! The clouds are below the ground!" Mokona said from his perch on Fai's head.

Fai set his hands on his hips. "Chu'Nyan-chan did say that the castle was protected by magic. And it won't be just this door. I imagine all of the castle gates will be the same. I think it's time to us the orb." Fai made a sweeping gesture towards Syaoran.

Syaoran drew the orb from the front of his robe, glancing from it to the castle with a thoughtful frown. Kurogane raised an eyebrow. "How're we supposed to use this thing?"

"You throw it!" Mokona said. "You throw it as hard as you can. Hard enough to hit the castle!"

Syaoran nodded, tossed the orb a few feet into the air. He spun, his leg lashing out in a blur as he kicked it into the air. The orb hurtled above us and a few feet before it could make contact with the castle, it burst. Black shadows raced around the castle, like a glass dome around it had been shattered and ink exploded through the cracks.

A booming crack echoed around us. When I looked back to the open gates the reverse sky was gone and a white marble corridor ran in both directions.

Syaoran took the lead, and we headed right. The hall stretched as far as I could see, the end of it fading into a white blur of marble. I frowned. Shouldn't a circular building have a curved hallway?

Our steps echoed down the hall. The walls were as smooth as the floor, solid slabs of marble. I would have expected a door, window, even a picture, but nothing marked one section as different. After at least ten minutes of walking, I stopped.

An error message flashed in my vision as the System started running various checks. The angle of the hallway compared to the map of the town I'd made earlier was impossible, and the System was processing it as a malfunction. But I knew it wouldn't find anything wrong.

The others looked at me, waiting for an explanation to my sudden stop. "Somethings wrong with this hallway," I said. "Its dimensions are impossible compared to the layout and size of the rest of the city."

Syaoran walked a few paces down the hall and knelt, picking something up off the tile. "That would explain this," he said, presenting a smooth pebble. "I left it on the ground near the entrance."

"So this hallway's a loop," I said. I scanned the walls for the door we came in through, but it was missing.

"Hyuu!" Fai said. "Syaoran-kun, Alice-san, you two are pretty smart."

Kurogane gave him a grimace. "What was that?"

"Sorry, but I don't know how to whistle," Fai said, shrugging.

Kurogane shook his head, turning away from Fai and crossing his arms. "So all that walking was for nothing."

"Hmm. I certainly don't want to walk any farther." Fai stood in front of the nearest wall and placed a hand against it. He closed his eyes as his smile faded. I frowned. For a moment he seemed to grow taller. My frown deepened when I looked down to see his feet hovering three inches off the floor.

"It's here I think," he said, slowly setting back down.

Syaoran walked over next to him, staring at the wall. "Did something seem strange?"

Fai placed a hand on his hip and pointed to the wall with the other. "For this kind of magic, the place where its strongest is the source. I think that means the Ryanban is on the other side of this wall. I don't know for sure. But there's a strong magic power in this direction."

Kurogane glared at him. "I thought you said you weren't gonna use your great magic."

Fai smiled. "I wouldn't so much call it magic. It's more like intuition."

"So how will we get in?" I asked. "We could—"

Kurogane stepped forward and slammed a fist into the wall. Bits of stone shot over my shoulder and tumbled to the floor as I stared at the hole Kurogane opened. Dust hung like a curtain, blocking our view of the other room as Kurogane grinned and stepped forward.

"That was reckless," I said. I tended to use stealth and surprise when entering an enemy's stronghold. It seemed like Kurogane was the opposite. I sighed as I drew my sword with my left hand, remembering the burn on the right one, and stepped through the hole in the wall with the others.

"Whatever," Kurogane grumbled, waving a hand.

As we left the dust behind us, a huge circular chamber greeted us, its white domed ceiling hanging far above us. From the center of the ceiling an indigo silk curtain cascaded down into a circle in the middle of the room. Sitting inside was a woman. Her hair sat coiled on her head with elaborate pins, and an equally elegant black and white robe cascaded to the floor. Her eyes glittered like chips of onyx. Nails extended like claws from her fingers, flashing with the same light that caught her eyes.

An inhuman echoed through the air. "I welcome you, little worms." The voice echoed, like three different women speaking in unison.

I flexed my hand around the hilt of my sword. The whisper of her breath and the beats of her heart never came, not that I could hear. We approached her, stopping about half way into the room.

"Who the hell are you?" Kurogane asked.

She smiled. "You humans—pathetic creatures with lives spanning less than a hundred years— you're no better than worms. Such creatures should watch their tongues. Or so I should scold you. But it's been so long since I had a guest, I'll forgive your coarse tone."

"What is she spouting?" Kurogane snapped. "Whatever! Just cough up the location of that Ryanban of yours."

Fai quickly waved a hand at him. "Kuro-bun, your temper is a little too quick here!"

I silently thanked Fai for keeping Kurogane from pissing off the threatening woman. Even here, about thirty feet away from her, I still couldn't hear a heartbeat. Silent hung around her like a wall, not even a shift of fabric making it to us.

My eyes didn't leave the woman as she lifted a hand to her mouth and smirked. "What amusing children."

Syaoran stepped forward. "I'm looking for something important, and I think it's in this castle. Will you tell me where the Ryanban is?"

The woman raised her long nails and looked at Syaoran with a slightly more genuine smile. "I like the look in your eyes," she said. "However, I'm afraid I cannot answer your question. Nor…" She stood, "can I allow you to pass."

"Excuse me," Fai leaned over to peek around Kurogane, "are you saying something to the effect that if we try to pass, you may get . . . violent?"

"Exactly," she said with a cold smirk.

The room flickered to black and I stumbled back a step. A second later the darkness lifted, but instead of standing in the enormous room, I stood on a slender stone pillar stretching up from foaming waves. Orbs of water hung in the air, their sizes ranging from a few inches in diameter to four feet. Lanterns on small poles stretched up from the water like reeds in a pond.

My pillar stood several meters away from the strange woman. She stood in a wooden gazebo, an island in the middle of the lake. The others also stood on pillars, glancing around the lake. Instead of ending at the walls of the room, the waves of the lake disappeared into a think bank of fog.

"An illusion?" Kurogane asked, standing on a pillar to my left with his arms crossed.

"No," the woman said. "Illusions are meant to bewilder." She raised a hand and a small orb of water darted towards Syaoran, "My arts, however, are so much more than that."

Syaoran's arm shot up to block the orb. It burst against his arm with a hiss, vapor streaming into the air.

"It's melting!" Syaoran gasped, shaking the liquid from his dissolving sleeve. Alarm lit Fai and Kurogane's faces. I stared at Syaoran's sleeve in surprise before scanning the room to get an idea of where the orbs were. They hung all around us, at least forty that I could see.

"Any injuries caused by my arts are all painfully real," the woman said.

"So that would mean that if we received a severe wound . . . " Fai said.

"You die!" the woman yelled as she flung her arms out. The orbs hovering around us burst into motion, each of them heading for one of us.

My eyes flickered blue as the System went into combat mode, all processing power diverted to fighting. Blue lines arched across the room, highlighting the predicted paths of the orbs. The scent of vinegar invaded my nose as I ducked beneath an orb.

I spun as the System alerted me to an orb flying at my face from the right. I kicked off from my pillar, landing on another. A cry wrenched my attention away. Syaoran stood, one leg in the lake and the other on a stone peeking out of the surface. He leapt away. The leg that had been in the lake hissed and steamed. Beneath his tattered pant leg, his skin glared red. He clutched his leg just above the wound.

"My leg!" Syaoran yelled.

"The lake and my spheres are made of the same liquid." The woman's voice snaked through the fog as more orbs bubbled up from the lake. I slashed my sword through an orb as more flew at me from my left, breaking the surface tension and letting most of the acid fall back into the lake. Droplets spattered against me, but only on my clothes.

"Of course, not everything is as it appears," she said.

"You're telling me that if I fall in the lake I'm gonna melt?" Kurogane yelled as he ducked. On the pillar next to him, Fai dodged an orb. He landed lightly on one of the lanterns on the lake, the tips of his toes perched on the lantern's top.

"Kuro-min, break this for me," he said, waving at his lantern.

"Huh? Why?" Kurogane snapped.

"We won't be able to avoid these spheres empty-handed forever."

"Do it yourself!" Kurogane snarled, punching the base of the pole. It snapped like a twig. Fai clung to the lantern and leaned back, breaking off the lantern and leaving two long poles.

Fai flipped, gripped his stave, and batted away an oncoming sphere. Kurogane used the other pole and swung at a sphere coming from his left.

"Now we can destroy them without touching them," Fai said as he swung again. He and Kurogane put their backs to each other and continued to slash at the spheres.

I glanced at my sword and looked around for a lantern. I needed a longer reach and I didn't know how this acid affected my sword. It could be eating away at the edge, and I had no way to sharpen the blade. I leapt for a lantern, decapitating it and leaving a thin metal pole. I landed, turned, and jumped again, slicing off a long piece of the pole and catching it in my free hang.

"Syaoran!" I yelled, throwing the pole to him.

"Right!" He called, catching the stave. I finished by cutting one last piece off for myself, grasping it with one hand and sheathing my sword with the other.

I spun my pole, letting The System calculate its weight and reach. I snapped it to my right, bursting an orb before it got close enough to splash me. A blue line crossed my vision, ending at my leg and beginning with a globe of acid. The orb darted in, but I slashed my stave across its path, bursting it. I glanced over my shoulder for a moment to see Syaoran slashing away at orbs, but his bad leg slowed his movements. Kicking off from my pillar, I landed next to Syaoran. "See what Kurogane and Fai are doing?" I asked.

He looked to Fai and Kurogane, who had their backs to each other, spinning and swinging their staves. "You want to try that?"

I nodded as he stood and we put our backs to each other. We fell into a rhythm of slashing and pivoting. A series of blue lines marked the globe's paths as I twisted and slammed my stave into them. I kept a close eye on my left side, as Syaoran's movements were slow on his right. Once, I had to fling my stave back to catch an orb he'd missed.

"Now," Fai yelled over to us, "we'll never get anywhere playing like this. Syaoran-kun, take Mokona and go ahead."

"I can't leave you here. Getting the feather is my responsibility." Syaoran said.

"True. But numbers won't help in this battle. Also you should move forward while your leg still works." Fai spun his pole like a propeller as he looked over his shoulder at Syaoran. "Syaoran-kun, you still have unfinished business, haven't you?"

Syaoran's expression hardened. He nodded, his mouth a thin line.

"I hope you aren't planning anything foolish, children," the woman called as a new onslaught of orbs sped towards us. I spun my pole and intercepted a globe.

"You guys figure out how to get Syaoran out, I'm going to get her attention," I said, my back to them as I eyed the woman.

"Are you sure?" Syaoran asked.

I looked at him over my shoulder, my eyes hard. "Of course. You just get that feather quickly."

He tensed, but nodded. I returned the nod, then spun and leapt towards the woman.

"Careful!" Fai called, a smile in his voice.

Several orbs flew towards me, but I spun my pole as I kicked off from one pillar to another, gaining speed as I neared the witch.

"Oh?" she asked as I approached. I landed on the pillar nearest her, setting one foot and letting my momentum hurl me forward. I planted one end of my pole in the shallow lake and, using the other end, vaulted forward.

I swung my feet forward, intending to kick the woman in the face and knock her into her own acid. She raised her dagger-like nails, and streams of blue lit the predicted paths. If I continued as I was, she'd slice the backs of my legs open. I altered the angle of my feet right before impact, letting her nails rake the bottom of my shoes. The metal in my soles provided a shield, as I'd hoped.

One nail slipped passed my shoes and slashed across the side of my right leg. My pants tore and she left a shallow cut. Her strike flung me back, but I used the impact to my advantage and pushed off back towards a lantern, I grabbed it with my free hand, the burned one, and swung around to face her, setting my feet against the pole.

I glared at her, my hand burning. "Last chance to give up," I said.

She smiled back at me as more orbs flew at me. "You are strong, child, but not strong enough."

I pushed off with my feet and kept my grip on the lamp, twisting to balance on top of it. I spun my pole, destroying the oncoming acid while I reached into my coat and withdrew my knife.

The System calculated the weight of the knife and distance in an instant. I spun, drew my arm back, and snapped my knife forward, sending it spinning at her chest.

She raised her hand again, deflecting the knife with a clang and sending it whirling harmlessly into the water. I grit my teeth in frustration as more globes of acid closed in, sending me back into batting them away.

A bang echoed from above. I glanced back for just a second to see a hole in the ceiling. Fai stood below next to Kuogane, but Syaoran was gone.

I slammed one last orb away before leaping back, landing on a pillar next to them. "He's out, right?"

Fai nodded. "Kuro-pu was quite impressive."

"Cut it out!" Kurogane snapped.

"If one managed to escape, that leaves me no choice," the woman said as she looked up at the hole in the ceiling. "I'll have to treat the three remaining children with moxibustion."

With a flick of her wrist, the orbs around us burst. I ducked my head as acid rain drenched us, keeping the down pour out of my eyes. I hissed in a breath as the acid drenched my face and trickled into the collar of my shirt, burning every inch of skin it touched.

"I'd say our situation is serious," Fai said, his face turning a vibrant red.

"Humph!" Kurogane grunted with a smirk.

I fixed my eyes on the woman and zipped my collar up to just below my chin, hoping it would help ward off the rain. Some of it ran into my glove, and I bit back a hiss as it trickled over my burn.

Kurogane and Fai stood back-to-back as more orbs formed from the lake. I stood alone on a pillar to the right of them, readying for another onslaught.

"Alice-san, maybe you'd like to join us?" Fai asked.

"Too crowded. The System can act as my backup." I pulled my injured leg closer, using my jacket as an umbrella. My stance wasn't a sound one, but I couldn't let acid into the cut.

I glared at the woman in the gazebo, wishing again for a gun. Maybe in The Hanshin Republic I would have held, but that was Primera throwing a petty tantrum. This was a fight for life, far from my area of experience.

A blue line lit up my vision and I snapped my pole up, breaking an orb aimed for my head. After that a new onslaught of orbs surrounded us. Blue flashed in the left half of my vision. I pivoted, throwing my stave out and slashing a globe of acid from the air. Another orb flew at my head. I ducked before spinning and striking it from the air. A few minutes later, the orbs let up.

I turned to check on my companions. Kurogane and Fai's clothes looked tattered, the threads in the robes dissolving away. Their skin glared bright red, and the hint of blood ran in the acid dripping from their faces. I swiped at my own face and checked my glove. No blood yet, but my face stung.

I looked up to see that the orbs were fewer in number, but had doubled in size. They were just inches taller then me now. I thought this would be even worse, but I found that it was easier to see them coming and burst them before impact. I wondered what the tactical advantage of it was, until I saw Fai in the corner of my vision.

Fai swung at an oncoming orb, but instead of bursting, the orb warped, letting the staff pass through without touching it. Fai wasn't going to have enough time for another swing. The orb descended, inches away from him.

Kurogane spun, slamming his staff into Fai's stomach _._ The impact flung Fai off their pillar and gave Kurogane enough momentum to leap out of the way. Fai stumbled onto my pillar clutching his stomach. I gripped his arm, steadying him as I knocked away an orb hurling toward us.

"Kuro-mu! You're mean!" Fai said, coughing as he tried to regain his breath.

Kurogane shot him an exasperated glare. "If I didn't, you'd be melted by now." He pointed to the pillar they'd just been standing on. It had melted to half its height, dripping into the lake like wax.

"I see your point. But, next time you move me, do it with a little more care please."

"You good?" I asked as he straightened.

"Yes, thank you, Alice-san," he said, readjusting his grip on his stave.

"You have some skill, children," the witch said as she raised a hand. "It's been so long since I've had a way to pass the time without being bored." The orbs around us rippled and doubled in size again. A blue flashed in the left half of my vision as I spun, swinging my pole. The globe burst before it got to us, but the splash fell toward us like a wave and Fai and I had to leap away.

The moment I landed I had to swing at an orb. Another rose to take its place as it burst. I spun my stave, but the orb swung around my stave before impact. It darted in, hitting my right leg and drenching my cut. I snarled through clenched teeth and dropped to a knee, but had to immediately push myself back up as three more orbs rushed in. I swung my stave like a bat and growled, hitting the first two and jumping away to avoid the third.

I wobbled as I landed, forcing my injured leg to hold my weight. My cut burned, but the damage wasn't serious. The System had already run a check and reported some burns in my injury, but most were external and mild for now.

We needed to do something. Dancing around would only help us for a short time. Soon we'd be too worn out, or one of us would make another mistake. But the acid was herding us away from the woman.

The crash of water drew my attention back to Fai and Kurogane. I bashed an orb out of my way and leapt from pillar to pillar to regroup with them.

I perched on a column next to Fai and Kurogane, readying to swing my pole, but the orbs in the air pulled back, suspended several yards away.

The witch lowered her hand. "There was only one other child who held out as long as you. A female shinban from the town of Ryonfi."

"That would be Chu'Nyan's mother, I take it," Fai said, resting his stave on his shoulder.

"She did mention a daughter by that name." Some of the amusement left her voice. "Perhaps what this country truly needs is not that foolish Ryanban and his men, but you children and that female shinban."

"Then let us pass," I said. "Why are you defending the Ryan'ban if you don't approve of him?"

"I haven't the ability to allow you to leave. I must live by the commands of the low-bred one who unjustly controls my will."

My hand twitched on my stave. _So she's under his control. But how? and why? Is it like my situation? Or magic?_ I almost offered our help, but realized if someone had offered me the same, it would have been too risky to accept. I might have even killed them if I suspected Adrian was watching.

The symmetry between us drained away some of my anger. I wasn't fighting a sadistic maniac, just a woman turned puppet. But somehow that made the idea of killing her easier.

"And although it is a shame, children," she said, "now we must part." The woman raised both of her arms and as they rose a wall of acid erupted from the lake, encircling us. The waves reached the ceiling, and started creeping closer.

Fai put a hand up the shield his eyes. "Oh-no! Here's where I'd say it looks bad for our heroes."

"Yeah," Kurogane huffed. "The minute we're caught in that, we're dead." He crossed his arms. "Can't you use a little magic now?"

"No. Sorry," Fai said.

Kurogane sighed. "I got nothing to do with this."

I wanted to point out that, regardless of his motives, he did have something to do with this, considering we were all about to be drenched in acid. But starting an argument wouldn't help us think of a way out.

"What now Kuro-mi? Alice-san?" Fai asked.

"I've already tried getting her with a knife, but she deflected it. Unless one of you has a gun or some kind of explosive, I'm out of ideas." I shrugged, eyeing the looming tsunami. I'd faced situations like this and found my way through and back to Nathaniel. Although I'd had more control over my surroundings in those situations than I did now.

Kurogane gripped his staff tighter and uncrossed his arms. "I'm not dying here. I've got to go back to my Japan. So we'd better step it up, and get to the next world."

The wall of acid halted in its advance. The acid cascaded down uncomfortably close. I raised an eyebrow at Kurogane. "Don't tell me you've been playing around," I said. He shot a feral grin at the witch and shrugged. I sighed. "I've never kept Nathaniel waiting long. I won't make him wait the rest of his life."

"Personally, I dislike staying in one place," Fai said.

"Why's that?" Kurogane asked.

Fai's smile remained, but the shadows around his eyes grew deeper. "Because there is a person sleeping underwater and, when he wakes up, he will probably come after me." Fai once again donned his fake cheer and lofted his pole. "So I have to run to as many worlds as I can."

It sounded like Fai had someone following him, too.

"Have you finished your final words?" The witch's voice cut through our conversation. A gap in the crashing wall of waves drew apart, allowing her to see us

"Now what do we do?" Fai gave a nervous laugh.

I tried to form some sort of strategy when Kurogane interrupted. "Hey, brat, you still have the other knife, right?" I nodded.

Kurogane jerked his chin towards the gap in the waves. "Jump through there. As you land throw your knife at her. Magician, you and I are going over the top when it comes down. After that, I'll go after the witch."

There wasn't any time for arguments or details. "Right. I'll take it," I said and jumped to a pillar closer to the wave.

The witch flicked her wrist. "Then, farewell."

I flung myself through the gap the woman left in her wall of acid, hunching my shoulders and covering my head with my arms. Once I was clear, I threw my arms and legs out, using their weight to help me aim for a pillar.

As I landed a crash of water sounded behind me. I didn't have time to check on Fai and Kurogane. I snatched my remaining knife from my jacket and hurled it at the woman.

"You hurry to your death, children?" she asked, her arm turning into a blur as she struck the knife from the air. Movment flickered in my peripheral and I turned to see Fai falling toward the woman. She smirked, flexed her dagger-like nails, and waited.

Kurogane surged forward, kicking off of Fai's back before he landed, launching himself at the woman.

"What?" Finally, the witch's composure fell as she realized what we'd done.

As Kurogane landed on the gazebo, the witch slammed her razor-sharp nails into his chest. They both stood like statues for a moment, their faces inches away from each other.

"You're quite the little tactician, aren't you?" the woman asked softly.

She pulled away from him, and as she withdrew her nails from Kurogane's chest, the book he'd purchased from The Hanshin Republic came with it. Her nails impaled it, the tip of one of her nails only just visible poking through the other side. Kurogane had positioned his body at the last moment so the book in his robe would act as a shield.

Kurogane grinned. "I just don't like the rain. So," He slammed his stave down onto the gem on her forehead, sending a crack echoing around the room, "turn it off!"

Glittering shards fell from the woman's forehead. The room flickered into darkness for a moment, and the pillar disappeared beneath me. I flung my arms out in surprise and hit white tiles. I stumbled, my injured leg buckling under the impact of my landing.

I sighed, my momentary panic evaporating when I saw tiles and not acid. I was also relieved to see both of my knives lying on the floor. I let myself sit down, catch my breath, and give my leg a break.

"If you try any more of your weird tricks—" Kurogane growled, standing over the slumped witch, gripping his stave and ready to swing. But the woman cut him off, standing in one agile movement and kissing him.

I raised an eyebrow and glanced up at Fai, who stood next to me, muffling his laughter with a hand.

"What kind of magic are you trying on me now?" Kurogane jumped back with a grin that might have been angry, confused or both as the woman pulled away.

"That was a thank you." She smiled, but it wasn't as cold this time. "Inside that stone was the magic that kept me in thrall to the Ryanban."

I pushed myself up and limped over to retrieve my knives. I wanted to avoid irritating the injury, but The System had already started stimulating cell growth and increased blood flow to my leg. The System's diagnosis hadn't changed, and it predicted the damage would be gone in forty-eight hours.

Fai walked over to join Kurogane. "And when Kuro-pon smashed the stone?"

I gathered my knives, holding the second one in my hand for a moment.

"I was finally set free," she said. "Had I the choice, I would never have defended that brainless Ryanban and his son against three such steadfast children."

I turned the blade over in my hand a few times, glaring at it. It'd be nice if my situation was as simple as a magic stone. And the Ryanban must be an idiot if he only had one safe guard on this woman.

"You wish to know the location of the Ryanban. He abides in the highest floor of the castle. However, it seems that the second smallest of you children has already arrived." Her expression turned solemn. "The Ryanban cur is attempting to attack with another cowardly tactic."

"What's he doing?" I asked as I came to stand next to Fai.

"I believe he is using an illusory hostage against your companion," she said.

"Right then." I grimaced, drew my sword and headed for the stairwell in the far wall.

"Guess that means were leaving," Fai said as he followed me. Kurogane's footsteps echoed after us as well. I stepped into the stairwell and started up it, ignoring the pain in my leg.

"So," Fai said, "the Ryanban is probably using an illusion of Sakura as hostage against Syaoran. Does that sound about right?"

"Probably," I said, keeping my eyes on the stairs. "If something doesn't tip him off to the illusion then he'll be in trouble."

"Got a plan, brat?" Kurogane asked.

"Kill the Ryanban," I said. I ran a hand over my check and checked it for blood: nothing. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Fai and Kurogane still had glaring red skin and small amounts of blood dripping from their chins.

"Fai, is my face as red as Kurogane's?" I asked.

He looked from me back to Kurogane. "No. I'd say Kuro-pin's face is a nice crimson. Your face isn't that bad. You're not bleeding either, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Hmm," Fai said. "The orb from Yuuko-san burns you, but you seem more resistant to that acid than us."

It was odd. I thought maybe magic could harm me worse than the rest of them, but that couldn't be it. I reached the top of the stairs. To the left, there was a hole in the floor through which Syaoran had broken through. Around it, broken pillars and shattered tiles marred the hall. The Ryanban's son sat slumped against the wall, bloody and unconscious.

I stopped and considered him for a moment—I knew he wasn't dead, I could hear his heartbeat—but I could kill him and make sure he wasn't an issue again. But I felt Nathaniel's memory pressing against me.

I sighed, turning away from the crumpled man. Even if Nathaniel wasn't here, I wanted to try to make choices he'd be happy with. Killing an unconscious man was not one of those choices. At the end of the hallway, a set of huge double doors stood cracked open.

"You're going to leave him?" Kurogane asked.

"Yes. But you're free to do whatever you like, I won't stop you." I said over my shoulder.

Beyond the doors, a crash and a yell erupted. I ran down the hall, along with Fai and Kurogane.

I reached the doors, pulling one open, ready to run in. But I paused when I saw the fight was over.

The Ryan'ban cowered at the far end of the room, a battered Syaoran standing over him. Men clutching staves and wearing simple tunics stood at the edges of the room, muttering and throwing confused, hateful looks at the Ryanban. Sakura and Chu'Nyan stood together behind Syaoran. Chu'Nyan clutched a circular mirror to her chest, glaring at the Ryanban.

We stepped through the doors, staying at the back of the room.

"What's this?" Fai asked. "It seems pretty crowded in there."

A small white blur rocketed through the air, smashing into Kurogane's nose. The blur bounced off Kurogane's face and he caught it in one hand, clutching his nose with the other. "You're late!" Mokona yelled.

"Aw, Shut up!" Kurogane snarled, squeezing the creature.

"It seems that quite a bit has gone on here." Fai laughed, waving to Mokona.

"Give the feather back!" Syaoran's voice rang through the room, harsh and steady. He held out a hand towards the quivering Ryanban. "Princess Sakura's memories belong to her. Give it back!"

Sakura clutched her hands to her chest. "Syaoran-kun . . . " she murmured.

"W-wait!" The Ryanban whimpered, holding up a trembling hand. "I think I can use this to bring Chu'Nyan's mother back! If you hurt me or kill me, that can never happen! Let me use this to resurrect her!"

I frowned. _He can bring back the dead?_ That wasn't possible. But I'd thought that about almost all of the magic I'd seen. Really if giant creatures could materialize from air, if acid could be summoned into gravity defying barrages, then reassembling the cells that made up a person wasn't that unbelievable.

"You murdered her," Chu'Nyan cried, her face twisting as Sakura gripped Chu'Nyan's shoulders. "You murdered a woman who was just trying to protect the village!" Chu'Nyan sobbed with rage, taking a half step forward before Sakura's arms encircled her shoulders, holding her back and giving her support. "And my omoni said no matter how much power you have you can't bring the dead back to life! No matter how much I want to be with her, I will never see my omoni again! And still—" She choked, "he spouts such lies!"

Indecision spun my mind in circles. One part of me wanted to hand Chu'Nyan a knife, the other part wanted to tell her to leave this behind. But Syaoran spoke.

"Chu'Nyan, do you want your revenge now?"

Her eyes widened and she stared at him.

"If it will help, you can take it." He half turned to face her, his expression solemn. "But is he really worth your effort?"

Tears poured from Chu'Nyan's eyes and she took several shuddering breaths. She clenched her fists and shook her head. "That freak isn't worth the energy it takes to hit him." I sighed. Syaoran had done better than I could have, and Chu'Nyan had made a better choice than me.

Syaoran nodded and returned his attention to the Ryanban, stalking towards him.

"D-don't touch me!" the man wailed. "S-stay away!"

Syaoran stopped as familiar, shining nails curled around the Ryanban's face. The unearthly voice of the witch trailed through the air. "That will be enough."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** This is the updated version of Chapter 7. (7/14/17)

**Two Years Ago:**

A snowflake fluttered down from the night sky and onto the barrel of my TOR gun, the crystal dissolving into a bead of water on the metal. I watched a second and third follow before returning my gaze to the blackened, empty window in the distance. Distant rumbles and the echoes of cracking metal raged through the air.

I laid on the floor of a burnt-out building, my rifle pointed out the shattered window. The snow started falling faster, harsh white flurries against the backdrop of the dark city ruins.

My position hid me with shadows, so anyone looking in likely wouldn't see me. I also had a complete view of the windows in the building I aimed for. The moment someone stepped into view, I'd fire.

An hour later, not a flicker of movement had appeared in the office building a thousand feet away. The snow had fallen thick, dropping a blanket of cold silence across the block. The System regulated my blood flow, keeping me warm, but I would have to move soon or start freezing.

A shadow moved in one of the windows. I adjusted my aim and trained it on the movement. The System highlighted a blue beam extending from my sights to the shape, but I couldn't see what it was. It was likely a person, but The System couldn't pick out a human silhouette. I watched the shadow shift, waiting for the moment I could get a head shot, but for a full minute, the figure stayed indistinct.

A new flicker caught my attention, one of the shards of glass in the window frame in front of me reflecting movement. I'd been frozen for hours; even now I lay unmoving. The moment I saw it, I kicked my legs and spun myself onto my back. I'd realized I couldn't be the source of the reflection, so it had to be something else. As I twisted, I swung the rifle away from the window and down towards my feet.

The man in the stairwell pulled the trigger and a bullet shattered the cement I'd laid on a moment before. I pointed my rifle, The System correcting my aim like an invisible hand pushing the barrel of my gun, and fired.

A white flash lit the room as a bolt of energy hit the man in the chest. His body stiffened for half a second before buckling, disappearing out of sight as it thumped down the steps. I half stood, darting over to the stairway.

My TOR gun had fired silently, but the man's gun had notified the whole block. I descended the stairs, walking fast enough to move quickly, but not enough to make a sound. I considered snatching the gun from the corpse's knotted grasp, but it looked like a DNA model. If it was, then only persons with registered DNA would be able to use it. If I tried to, the gun would lock up, or potentially trigger a self-destruct security measure.

With the gunshot, I doubted anyone in that office building would be poking their head's out for the next few hours, so I would need to hunt them down.

After weaving back into the rubble of the city, away from the office building before turning right. The streets were filled with snow, but below that, ash covered the road, outlining my footprints in black. Shattered windows set into towering buildings, scorched storefronts, and shadows in the hills of rubble, all watched me like a skull's eye sockets as I passed, rifle held ready.

Most of the city's residents had fled before the Elpedite army arrived, but every few minutes I'd see a blacked arm sticking out from the rubble, snow gathering on the fingers like it would on tree branches. Distant rumbles of Elpedite bombs announced more would join them.

I turned, heading back towards the office building. I hugged the buildings when the way was free of rubble and moved quickly and low to the ground when I couldn't. The night of the horizon lifted to a deep blue, the approaching dawn illuminating my way. I stopped, hiding behind the last corner before the office building. Shouldering my rifle, I removed my pistol from its holster with my left hand and drew my sword with my right. I raised the blade, diagonally in front of me, ready to defend or attack.

Creeping around the corner, I watched the windows. In one of them, shining metal caught the light. An alert flashed in my vison as a white flash shot toward me from the window. My sword snapped up, catching the energy. The material of the hilt and my gloves acted as insulators, protecting me from the lethal bolt.

As the electricity sizzled out, I raised my gun. The System highlighted the person's silhouette, and I shot twice, aiming for their head. The figure fell back into the building, their rifle falling with a distant clatter. My hands held steady, The System tempering the effects of my adrenaline, but my heart thundered in my chest and my breath rattled. I took a moment to scan the rest of the windows and doorways, but they seemed empty.

I entered the nearest doorway, The System tracking every hiss of ash and crunch of snow beneath my feet. The inner hallways of the first floor were mostly untouched. Muted red carpet collected my ashy footprints as I headed for the stairs. Silence filled the first floor, which meant the people were upstairs. I ascended, my eyes locked farthest point up the stairs I could see, my gun aimed there as well.

I arrived at the second floor and peered out of the stairwell. The floor was full of a maze of cubicles, the windows on the far wall were all shattered, letting snowflakes drift in. My eyes flicked over the rims of the partitions as I listened. The muffled trickle of water filled the space, amplified by the silence. Satisfied no one was in the room I looked back to the stairs. I ascended the steps to the third floor.

On the second to last step, the mutter of human voices drift down the stairs. I slowed, making sure my steps were soundless as I neared the landing's doorway. When I reached the doorway I stood with my shoulder pressed to the wall, leaving only a fraction of the room beyond visible.

The corner of another section of cubicles were visible, but not the people speaking. Three voices echoed out of the room, two women and a man, speaking in sharp tones. They sounded like they were in the far right corner of the room, the one I couldn't see. From the corner I could see, The System calculated the dimensions of the rest of the room, and each speaker's approximate position. The voices stayed in the corner. No one was walking. Based on the clarity of the voices, The System estimated one woman faced the room, the other two likely had their backs to the stairs.

I turned, raised my gun, and stepped into the doorway.

As I cleared the doorframe, the group came into view. A woman faced me, her eyes widening as I stepped into her line of sight. On her right stood a man, and on her left a woman. They all bore the blue Yetz uniform, thick jackets with high collars and patches displaying their ranks.

The instant after I entered the room, I pulled the trigger, shooting the first woman. She jerked as blood burst from the back of her head and her eyes turned glassy. The remaining man and woman flinched away from her as she fell. My arm swung the exact amount needed, and I shot the man. The final woman reached for her rifle without even looking up, cringing away from her companions, but barely touched it before I pulled the trigger.

After she fell to the floor, I listened and found their hearts silent. Holding my gun in front of me, I stepped further into the room. The gun used bullets, not silent TOR shots, so anyone left in the building knew I was here. The buzz of machinery and a dim glow drew my attention to a closed door behind the corpses.

It must have been an office, with a glass door, webbed with bullet holes. In the room beyond, the soft light of a computer lit the wall. I stepped over the bodies and gripped the bloodied doorknob. The glass crunched as I pulled the door open, shards tumbling to the carpet.

The thunder of a heartbeat announced the rooms occupant. A uniformed man stood halfway out of his chair when I entered, and we froze as we saw each other, our eyes locking on each other.

"Don't—" He gasped as I shot him. He crumpled to the floor. Behind him waited a glowing screen, filled with a stream of numbers and letters. I stepped over the man to the desk. Lined up on the white surface sat a pile of folded Elpedite uniforms, seven shining computer chips, a cup of water, and a stack of folders. I frowned.

This was supposed to be the control center for the Yetz's drones and communications. The stream of numbers on the screen lined up with that. But the chips and uniforms made no sense. I could figure out why a center for sending out instructions to drones, would have chips and enemy uniforms.

I picked up a chip, frowning as I turned it over. It was the size of my finger nail, flashing silver in the dim light. Setting it back down, I flipped through the papers. I wasn't supposed to linger here. I should kill the computer and flag down the collection team. Then my job would be done. But a flutter of an idea kept me from shrugging my shoulders and leaving.

Tearing through the papers, I scanned them, moving on when I didn't find what I was looking for. After a minute, I flipped the page and a picture of a woman stared up at me. I stopped. The picture was sterile, the woman staring straight into the camera, unsmiling. An ID picture.

Printed under the picture was a serial number. I set down the paper and picked up two chips, angling them in the light until I found tiny serial numbers imprinted in the metal. They were the same format, but not the same numbers. After checking three more chips, I found a match.

Moments later, I had seven folders of profiles open with their matching chips on each one. Four of them were the people laying on the floor behind me. One woman, twenty years old, had blue eyes and black hair. She vaguely resembled me. There was a ghost of myself in the shape of her mouth and nose. Just enough that if someone took a passing glance, they wouldn't notice a difference. Just enough, that if someone glanced from the ID picture to me, I'd pass.

The idea tumbled into a clutter of a plan. Excitement and fear locked my hand in place, hovering over the folder and the chip. This could get Nathaniel and I out, but it could also bring devastating consequences. Except this was the chance I'd been waiting for. If this wasn't a good enough opportunity, then nothing would be. I took a deep breath and beat down the fear, snatching the chip from the desk and shoving it into my boot. I tucked the matching folder under my arm before replacing the rest of the chips and folders as I'd found them.

Satisfied, I leveled my Tor rifle at the computer and fired, frying the Yetz's communications. Somewhere in the east of the city, drones would be setting down, useless on the pavement as the Yetz units dissolved into chaos as they lost contact with each other. The Yetz had already been losing, but with this, the Elpedite army would win in the next few hours. I turned from the shattered screen and stepped over the bodies on my way out. Walking quickly, I exited the building the way I'd come, deciding I'd burn the folder. It would be the safest way to dispose of it; its ashes would look the same as the layer carpeting the city.

I couldn't use my TOR gun, it recorded the amount of shots fired and when. I stepped into the street and reached into my jacket pocket, taking out my lighter. Clicking it on, I held the corner of the folder above the flame, watching it catch. I waited until the fire almost touched my fingertips before letting go, letting the ashes blow away in the wind.

I took a slow breath, accepting what I'd done and steadying my nerves. I took out my screen and clicked it on.

"Alice reporting. Mission successful. Ready for collection team to be deployed to the following location." With a tap I sent out my coordinates and waited for the team to pick me up. I practiced standing still, not fidgeting with my boot, despite the chip digging like a knife in the sole.

**Present:**

The woman's nails curled around the Ryanban's face, grazing his cheek. The top half of her body leaned out of a swirling void torn in the air behind the man. "You've made yourself comfortable inside my castle, have you not?" she asked.

The Ryanban let out a choked shriek as the woman pulled him back. Syaoran watched them with a cold stare, unmoving. No one else in the room moved either, but Chu,Nyan straightened, her eyes fixed on the Ryanban.

Kiishim's eyes flicked over the Ryanban, catching the light like a blade. "This churl would dictate my actions? I must show my appreciation, slowly."

"N-No! Don't!" he yelled, pushing against her arms. They could have been made of steel for how much they moved.

"It seems we can trust Kiishim-san now," Fai said, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall behind him.

I nodded, envious satisfaction curling through me as I watched the woman. I'd been hungry for that kind of revenge for years. But it was nice to see someone else get theirs.

"Be at ease," the witch said, pulling him into the portal. "Once we arrive in the country of Kiishim, you will be received with the greatest of welcomes by my many sons."

"I don't want to go!" the Ryanban howled.

The woman's onyx eyes flicked to Chu'Nyan. "Are you the one named Chu'Nyan?"

Chu'Nyan's eyes were red, but her tears had stopped. Instead her lips were tight in grim satisfaction. "I am," she said.

Kiishim's eyes softened in sympathy. "Your mother was an excellent Shinban. Her one mistake was to fall for this Ryanban's cowardly trap. She stated that she would polish her skills in battle with me as you grew. She anticipated teaching you and watching you become a shinban more powerful than herself."

Chu'Nyan sucked in a sharp breath and nodded. Her shoulders were set and her hands were fisted into her skirt. She'd be fine. She was still grieving and that was normal. But now she stood on the right path and would move on in time.

"Grow strong," the woman said. "Until your skills may fairly challenge mine."

"I will," Chu'Nyan said. "You can bet on it!"

The woman nodded, the beads in her hair clattering. "Very well. Until that time, farewell, you adorable little worms." The woman waved her free hand, and the void swirled shut, taking the wails of the Ryanban with it.

The moment the portal sealed, Syaoran turned, feather clutched in his hand. He strode to Sakura, standing before her with a kind, determined look, and held out the feather. The feather fluttered across the space between them, glowing bright as it returned to its owner.

Sakura wobbled, her eyes turning glassy, but Syaoran's waiting arms caught her before she could fall. He knelt with her and smiled. "We've returned one more feather."

I scanned the room, and assured all danger had passed, walked over to the nearest villager. "Do you know the rest of these men?" I asked.

The man blinked down at me before glancing around. "Yeah. I mean, I know most of them as acquaintances."

I nodded. "The Ryanban's son is in the hallway back there." I pointed a thumb over my shoulder. "You and a few other guys might want to get him contained before he runs off."

The man's eyes lit with anger. "That sounds like a good idea." He turned to some of the other men. "Hey Eun, Haneul!"

The man and his friends marched into the hallway. I was ready to leave, but a quick glance in Syaoran's direction confirmed he hadn't stood up yet. He held his injured leg at a strange angle. I thought the acid had been the only injury, but a dark bruise ringed his ankle along with the burns. He would need medical attention.

I walked over to Chu'Nyan. "Does this town have a doctor?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After a joyful reunion between the townspeople and the men the Ryanban had kidnapped, a celebration erupted across the streets. The people had heard the Ryanban was gone, and we had to weave our way through the sea of cheering celebrators to get the doctor's house.

I stepped out of the doctor's house onto the street, starting towards Chu'Nyan's house. Across from the doctor's house, Chu'Nyan stood in the center of a crowd of beaming town's people. They'd gravitated to her after hearing how she freed the men with her mirror.

A moment after I passed the cluster of people, a hand tapped my shoulder. I flinched, turning as I stepped away.

A woman stood there, smiling at me. "Excuse me," she said. "I just wanted to thank you. You were one of the warriors who helped defeat the Ryanban, right?"

I blinked, staring at her for a moment. She returned my stare with a genuine smile. Snorting, spinning away from her as her smile shifted to a confused frown. I strode away from her, glowering at the ground. She didn't even know me and she was ready to thank me? It was idiotic. The same kind of mindset the people of Elpedite had: ready to trust whatever they heard and look no further, comfortable in their ignorance. Perhaps this situation was more justified—a corrupt ruler had just been overthrown by strangers uninterested in taking over—but the thanks still felt sour with blind trust. I didn't want thanks from people like that. It was the same way Adrian would wave and smile and everyone would pledge their lives to him. No need to look further or question, just accept what you heard with a smile and life was easy. It didn't matter what was going on in secret, after all. How could a leader that compassionate and charismatic do anything questionable?

I ducked into the closest dark alley and away from the bright streets of celebrating people.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The snow crunched under my feet as I ran across the snow and ash and into a doorway. Inside, the halls were dark and empty. I darted into a room just as another explosion rattled the building. Forcing my breaths back into a controlled rhythm, I crouched by the doorway and waited, shifting my grip on my sword.

Footsteps thundered down the hall. I tensed. _He wouldn't be so stupid—?_

The man careened passed me into the room, whipping his gun around as he spun, searching for me. Before he could turn to look back, I lunged forward and swung. When my sword struck him across the back of the neck, blood spattered the floor.

He fell with a thud as I ducked back against the doorway. I swiped a hand across my face, trying to wipe away the dots of blood. I listened, but I couldn't hear anything passed the rumble of explosives.

Stepping toward the body, I hesitated, shuffled, and darted forward, snatching his gun from the tile and jumping back to the doorframe. I checked it over, just a simple pistol, not a TOR gun. No DNA lock. Ten bullets left. I faced the doorway and aimed the gun in front of me, slowly stepping around the corner and revealing the hall. The gun trembled in my grip, and I had to take a long slow breath to steady them.

The moment I registered the explosion, I was thrown to the hall floor. Debris bounced and spun across the ground, dancing in my vision as I tried to orient myself. The tile swung beneath me like a pendulum. I planted both hands on the floor, set my feet, and turned myself over, looking back into the room. A crack of grey sky peeked between the chucks of concrete and twisted steel where the room used to be. The tile still rolled beneath me, but The System overrode my own balance and used the angles of the room to help me up.

My sword and gun were gone. I whirled around, searching the floor for them.

The tiles swam in my vision and my throat felt to tight, like I had to suck in each breath through a straw. Then there was a man barreling down the hall at me, already too close.

He lunged forward. The System flashed a warning on the knife in his hand, aimed for my stomach. I pivoted, slammed my arm against his wrist and broke his grip on the blade. It clattered to the ground between us. The dizziness combined with the sudden block sent me stumbling back.

The man darted forward and grabbed my collar with one hand, and punched me across the face. My head snapped back, cracking against the wall. Or maybe the floor, I couldn't tell anymore. Pain ricocheted inside my skull, blurring my vision and shattering my focus.

The System flashed in my vision, trying to get me to move. I looked up, reorienting myself and seizing the wrist of the hand gripping my collar. I activated The System, setting it to find the best angle to snap the man's wrist. But I hesitated, something held me back.

_Wait, wasn't The System already running?_ The hand fisted in my collar shifted into a hand on my shoulder. I focused the man's face. He glared at me, but the expression was impatient, not murderous. Kurogane.

Reality snapped back into place. I sat against the wall of Chu'Nyan's house, a blanket draped across me. Kurogane gripped my shoulder.

I snatched my hands way from his wrist, canceling The System's order immediately. He raised an eyebrow. "You awake now?"

"Yeah," I said, rubbing my face. "Sorry. Next time you need to wake me up, just say my name or something."

He nodded and stood. "We're ready to leave. You?"

I got to my feet, pulling off the blanket along with the last wisps of the dream. I checked the house and found it empty except for Kurogane and I. "Yes," I said. "Where are the others?"

"Outside, waiting for you," he said. He had his original armor back on, so I assumed everyone had their original clothes back on. I folded the blanket and placed in the closet with the rest of the blankets. I hadn't taken one last night, so someone must have put it on me while I slept. If that hadn't woken me, I'd let myself get too tired.

I exited Chu'Nyan's house and found the others waiting in the yard. Everyone wore their original clothes. Sakura, looking the most awake I'd seen her, with bright eyes and a clear voice, chatted with Chu'Nyan. Fai and Syaoran leaned against the fence, conversing. Fai waved as I stepped out. "Good morning, Alice-san."

I raised a hand in return. "Sorry about the wait. I'm ready to go."

Fai stepped over, waving away my apology. "Don't worry about it. You looked like you needed the rest." He leaned over and whispered, "We didn't tell Chu'Nyan we're leaving, just that we need to do something important outside the town, and she should come."

Nodding, I stepped away and towards the street. "Let's go."

We weaved through the streets of the city. The people we passed smiled and laughed, filling the air with joy. Children who had been absent up until now, played outside, kicking balls and running through our group. Almost everyone waved to Chu'Nyan or us as we passed. If Chu'Nyan became their next leader, I wouldn't be surprised.

By the time we got to the edge of town, several people had started following us, curiosity lighting their faces. We stopped, sharing a silent glance to confirm this was a good spot. Chu'Nyan must have caught something in the look, because she stepped a little closer.

"Thank you," she said. "You really saved us from the Ryanban."

Syaoran raised his hands to protest. "We didn't do that much."

Chu'Nyan shook her head, a determined furrow in her brow. "If you hadn't removed the spell around the castle, the Ryanban would still be terrorizing us. So it really is thanks to you."

Syaoran's shoulders slumped, "No, really. We didn't do . . ." But the fight left Syaoran voice. Syaoran, despite his modesty, must have realized he was partially responsible for the town's liberation.

"We should thank you," Fai said. "The medicinal salve you gave us really worked." I glanced over the faces of my companions, finding their injuries had vanished. The salve Fai mentioned must have been magic. Healing that quickly, without advanced medicine, wasn't possible otherwise.

I ran a quick analysis of my own wounds. The burn on my hand was almost gone, along with the acid injuries. The cut on my leg was doing well. The small amount of muscle damage had been repaired. Now all that was left was a shallow cut in my skin.

"My Omoni made that salve," Chu'Nyan beamed. "I can't do anything nearly as good, but I'm going to try my best! I want to be a shinban that Omoni would be proud of."

I imagined her mother would be proud of her already. I had trouble picturing a parent that wouldn't be. A girl reckless enough to stand against the man who murdered her mother, but strong and wise enough to find peace outside of revenge. She'd taken the right steps and set herself on a path to a better life. I'd never taken those steps, and now I was committed to a much different road.

"You will be," Sakura said, a glowing smile on her face as she gripped Chu'Nyan's hand. "I'm certain of it."

Chu'Nyan's eye glittered at the edges. "Yeah," she said, her voice hoarse.

"Mokona," I said, nodding to the creature. He gave me a little salute and leapt into the air. Wings unfurled from his back as the magic circle bloomed under us.

Fai glanced up at Mokona. "Time to leave?"

"Yep!" Mokona said.

"What the heck?" Chu'Nyan cried, staring at Mokona. She gripped Sakura's arm, glancing from her to Mokona. "Where are you going?"

I gripped Chu'Nyan's shoulders, spinning her around and pushing her from the circle. "Far away."

Chu'Nyan twisted back to face us. "But you just got here!"

Syaoran smiled and gave her a wave. "We have something we have to do. Farewell!"

Chu'Nyan stood with her people behind her and beyond them their town, glowing in the morning light. I took a deep breath as her world spun, the colors folding in on themselves. And then she was gone.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The ground sunk beneath my feet as I landed, the wet soil almost making me stumble. The others stood around me as we all scanned the area.

Thick mist swirled around us, sucking away any sunlight that bled through the smoky sky. My eyes adjusted, twisting trunks of dark trees looming over us and blocking the dim light. Vines crisscrossed the spaces between the trees, like a mess of wires. A choir of bugs and other small creatures buzzed around us and filled the forest with an organic static. The air swam with humidity, weighting down my clothes and lungs. Waves lapped at a sandy bank to our right, a lake with murky water.

"So," Kurogane said, "where the hell are we now?"

"By a really big lake, I'd say," Fai said, stepping onto the bank. The lake's surface lay almost still, with just the smallest ripples running over its surface.

Syaoran followed. "I can't see any signs of humanity."

Fai looked to Mokona, who stood on Syaoran's head. "Well, Mokona? Do you sense one of Sakura-chan's feathers?"

"Mokona senses a strong power," Mokona said.

"And my brother?" I asked.

"No," Mokona said, "Nathaniel isn't here."

I sighed, but it was partially in relief. I didn't want to think about Nathaniel getting stranded in a world like this. If he'd landed in this world, in the middle of this jungle, his survival would be a struggle. Nathaniel was smart, he might be able to handle it, but he'd lived in the city his whole life. These surroundings would be completely alien to him.

"Where's the power you're sensing?" Syaoran asked.

Mokona pointed to the lake. "There!"

Kurogane glared from Mokona to the waves. "You mean we gotta look underwater?"

"Wait!" Sakura said, clenching her fists, "I should be the one to . . . go . . ." She staggered, then fell forward, her eyes fluttering shut. Kurogane held out a hand, catching her as she fell.

Mokona laughed. "Sakura's fast asleep."

She'd done pretty well these last few hours. She was starting to stay awake longer, and stay more lucid during that time. I faced the lake and pulled off my jacket, the humid air already making me sweat. "We should start searching."

He nodded and took off his cloak. "Right."

I hung my jacket on a nearby branch and glanced around. "Mokona," I said, "We should walk around the lake. That could give you a better idea where in the lake it is."

"Good idea!" Mokona sprang from Syaoran's shoulder to mine.

"I'll start looking," Syaoran said, wading into the lake.

"I'm assuming we're meeting up back here," I said. Fai had propped Sakura up against a tree and given her his coat as a blanket. The small clearing made a decent spot for camp, the trees formed a canopy above us and it was right next to the lake, so I figured this was a good place to stay for now.

"We'll wait here and keep Sakura-chan company." Fai said with a wave.

I nodded, sand shifting under my feet as I started across the bank. "Tell me if you feel like it's getting closer," I told Mokona.

"Okay!" Mokona said.

The sandy beach narrowed and vanished beneath the roots of trees twisted over each other and into the water, forcing me to plan my steps as I picked my way over the uneven footing.

"This world is so cool!" Mokona's ears fluttered every time the chorus of bugs changed, or a bird or some other creature's cry broke through the buzz.

After walking for a while, I paused. We'd gone about half a mile away from our camp, and I wanted to see if we were any closer to the power's source. I started a mental map of the lake. It very roughly resembled a rectangle. Our camp was on the southern, longer side, and right now Mokona and I were on the short, eastern side. "How about here? Does it feel any closer?"

Mokona nodded. "Yeah, it feels a little stronger now!"

"Good." I grabbed a branch to balance myself as I stepped over a snarl of roots.

"I'm sorry Nathaniel isn't here," Mokona said, his voice softer.

I shrugged, careful not to push him off my shoulder. "It's fine. I'm actually glad he's not here. So far away from people, in this wilderness, he wouldn't be able to survive." A little voice whispered that just because he wasn't on this world didn't mean he wasn't on one like it. But I pushed it away. Worrying would do nothing. The best I could do for Nathaniel right now was to focus on the current problem.

"What's Nathaniel like?" Mokona asked.

"Smart. Kind," I smirked and ducked under a branch, "Extremely stubborn,"

"Then Nathaniel will be okay," Mokona said, stating it like a fact.

"Why do you think that?" I asked, pausing.

"If Nathaniel is smart and stubborn, and has someone like Alice looking out for him, he'll be okay." Mokona beamed. I sighed, deciding not to argue his naïve way of thinking. Maybe I wasn't giving my brother enough credit. He _was_ smart, he knew to be suspicious of strangers, and he could be resourceful. A little of my dread evaporated, but just a little.

We continued our trek around the lake. I would regularly check with Mokona to see how close the energy was. On the northern side of the lake, Mokona said the feather felt farther away again. We'd traveled about three-fourths of the way around the lake when Mokona said the energy felt closer again.

I stopped, frowning. "Wait, it's closer?"

Mokona nodded. "Yep."

But that didn't make sense. The lake very roughly resembled a rectangle, and right now we were on one of the shorter sides. On the other short side, Mokona had said it was close too, but on the long end it felt far away. It didn't make sense.

Mokona must have thought so too, as he started frowning. I crossed my arms. "You're sure?"

Mokona nodded. "Yes, Mokona's sure!"

"Then . . . could it be moving? Maybe there are currents in the water?" It was the only thing I could think of, and it would make finding the feather twice as difficult. We'd have to have Mokona with us to find it, and even then it would likely take hours. I sighed. "Let's go tell the others."

When we arrived back at the bank we started from a crackling fire greeted us. Sakura laid against the tree, still asleep, but Fai and Kurogane were gone.

A splash pulled my attention to the lake. Syaoran surfaced with a gasp, treading water.

"Syaoran," I called. He turned, pulling off his goggles.

"Yes?"

"The energy Mokona sensed, I think it's moving around. Have you seen anything?"

"No. But I'm going to keep looking. I'll stay close to shore, though," he said, glancing at Sakura.

"All right. Where did Fai and Kurogane go?"

Syaoran pulled one arm from the water and pointed behind me. "They said they were going to look around and headed that way."

I nodded. "I'm going to find them." I'd been turning a question over in my head since we confronted the Ryanban. He'd claimed he could revive the dead, and I wanted to know if magic made that possible. And though I was almost sure I already knew the answer, I still wanted to ask Fai to verify.

Syaoran waved in confirmation and dived back underwater.

"Do you want to stay here?" I asked Mokona. He nodded and hopped from my shoulder to the ground next to Sakura. Heading the way Syaoran pointed, I found a trail of muddy footprints. I followed the path of footprints up a hill, weaving between the gnarled trees. After a while, I pushed through a curtain of vines and stepped into a clearing. Across it, Fai and Kurogane stood by a ledge on the hill, gazing down at the lake. They turned as the vines fell back into place behind me.

"Ah," Fai said, "have you found it already?"

"Unfortunately, no. I'm pretty sure it's moving in the lake, water currents maybe." I tucked my hands into my pockets as I looked down at the lake. From our position, the barest flicker of our campfire filtered through the trees as it's light reflected off the water.

"Great," Kurogane growled, glaring at the lake.

"Fai," I said, turning to face him, "I wanted to ask you about something the Ryanban said. Can magic bring the dead back to life?"

He blinked, his smile falling. "No," he said. "The Ryanban was desperate. Not matter how strong the magic, the dead cannot be brought back to life."

"All right," I said. I didn't know how I felt about Fai's answer. It wasn't like I'd had any real hope that magic could bring my parents back. But something like disappointment settled on me at his words, though the emotion was muted, a muffled shout heard across a thick wall. Maybe I should have felt something sharper, but during the last several years, the girl I used to be, and her parents, became strangers. The day I'd abandoned my old name behind, I'd abandoned them too. Maybe in a way, it was a good thing my parents couldn't see what became of their children.

But the nonsense of it nagged at me. I frowned. "But I've seen kudan summon into being, and the room of acid the Kiishim created. If that's possible, then why not reassembling a person's body and memories?"

Fai gave me a sad smile. "Because maybe you can reassemble the body, maybe even the memories, but calling back a soul from death is impossible."

My gaze flicked over his solemn expression as my eyebrows drew together. "What's a soul?" The word sounded familiar, but in the last few days a flurry of unfamiliar words had been used. In the case of soul, I'd suspected it meant personality, but that didn't make sense with the way Fai had used it, with such weight.

Fai started, staring at me for a moment before composing himself. "I don't know if you have a different word for it. It's what makes up someone's identity. A close concept might be consciousness. In some religions, it's thought to endure after death."

I shook my head. "That doesn't make sense." How could consciousness persist after death? Death was supposed to be the end of thought, feeling, life. Something important differentiated a soul from consciousness. Maybe a soul was the culmination of all those things. And another new word: religion. I felt like a child, asking the grown-ups about words too big for me to understand.

But I asked anyway. "But consciousness is directly tied to the brain and body. If that's destroyed, how can it continue? And what's religion?"

"What kind of world are you from?" Kurogane asked, staring at me in bafflement.

Fai sighed and crossed his arms, but the gesture was thoughtful, not impatient. "So you've never heard of a soul or religion before?"

"Never."

Fai tilted his head and smiled. "Well there are many religions, most focus on concepts like the creation of life and the universe. But within that they're all very different, even more so as we're traveling through worlds. If you watch and listen, you'll see people mention them."

"All right," I said. I thought I had a rough idea of soul, but apparently I was missing a vital part of the concept. Maybe it was something unique to magical worlds, or something science couldn't discover. I'd try to find the piece I was missing, maybe then magic as a whole might make more sense.

My thoughts broke off as The System flashed in the right half of my vision, directing me to look at the lake. I took a step closer to the ledge to get a better look. "What's that?" I asked. The lake seemed brighter somehow. In its center, a dim glow bloomed among the waves. The light swelled into a soft shimmer, then exploded into a blinding flash.

My hand shot up to cover my eyes as I blinked the spots from my vision.

"What the hell?" Kurogane said.

We glanced at each other before running back down the hill, stumbling our way over roots and under vines. Shoving the last branch aside, I ran out of the wall of trees and back into camp. I glanced at the base of the tree, but Sakura and Mokona were gone.

Before alarm spread, Fai called out. "Over there." Fai jogged to the bank and knelt, Sakura lay splayed out on her stomach in front of him. Mokona stood by Sakura's head, waving a greeting as Kurogane and I joined them. The lake's glow hadn't diminished, it still shone so bright it hurt to look directly at.

From the way Sakura faced the water, and how she lay on her stomach, she must have passed out trying to get to the lake. It was a good thing she hadn't made it to the water, and it was still a wonder she hadn't broken her nose.

"Mokona, where is Syao—" I stopped when I glanced down to find Mokona had vanished. A few yards down the bank, Syaoran stepped out of the lake. A little white blur sped towards him across the sand.

"Mokona?" Syaoran asked, brushing the water from his hair.

Pointing back to us, Mokona stopped. "Sakura is—! Sakura is—!"

Syaoran's eyes grew wide as he caught sight of Sakura and sprinted toward us.

Running back to us, Mokona leapt onto my shoulder with a glowing smile. "Fast asleep!" Syaoran tripped, collapsing to his hands and knees and staring blankly at Mokona.

Mokona laughed. "Did I scare you? Did I scare you? That's one of Mokona's 108 secret techniques! Super dramatic power!"

Syaoran sat up as Fai patted him on the shoulder. "You did look scared. But from here on out, there will be more scares of that sort. Sakura-chan has fallen asleep many times now. Next time, there might be more dire circumstances."

I nodded. "It was a lucky thing she wasn't in the water when it happened."

Syaoran's gaze flicked from me to Sakura to the water before he paled. "Right."

"But," Fai said, "that's why we're finding Sakura-chan's feathers, right? If we're careful, things should be fine." Fai's smile grew brighter. "So let's take this a little easier. We don't have to dwell on the painful moments. We won't be able to forget them, even if we wanted to." He turned to look at Syaoran. "If you were to smile and have fun for a moment or two, I doubt anyone would blame you for it. Some might even be happier for it." Fai looked up at me, his eyes sympathetic. "You, too, Alice-san. I know your circumstances are time-sensitive, but with the difference in the flow of time between worlds, I don't think how long you take will matter."

I stared at him, my mouth tight as I processed his words. The realization that I couldn't control how quickly I got to Nathaniel was at once relieving and terrifying. In one sense, it was almost calming knowing that it was out of my hands. But for the same reason it was terrifying. No matter how quickly I moved, I probably couldn't make a substantial change in how soon I got to Nathaniel. Even if we left right now and got lucky enough to drop into the same world as Nathaniel, it could have been months since he'd seen me. All I could do was hope that the world's flows of time wouldn't get me to him years from now.

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to accept it, giving Fai a short nod. Agonizing over it would only skew my focus. Syaoran must have taken Fai words seriously as well. He smiled down at Sakura, some of the stress that had fogged his eyes cleared.

Mokona sprang into Syaoran's lap. "When Syaoran smiles, Mokona is so happy!"

Fai grinned and pointed to himself. "As am I of course." He gestured to Kurogane. "And it makes Kuro-pin happy, too."

"Keep me out of this!" Kurogane said, crossing his arms. His voice still held its edge, but his eyes were softer, not as angry.

Sakura mumbled and shifted, drawing our attention back to her. She sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Are you awake?" Fai asked her as she blinked.

The blank look vanished and she leapt to her feet. "Syaoran-kun!" she cried, spinning toward the lake. "Syaoran-kun's in the lake!" She took two running steps toward the water before Syaoran jumped up and pulled her to a stop by her shoulders.

"I'm right here," he gasped, releasing his grip when she turned to face him.

The worry drained from her face. "Oh, I'm so glad!"

For a moment, her anxiety at the thought of Syaoran taking a swim had me questioning her lucidity. But turning the thought over, the idea of Syaoran swimming in the murky waters of a mysterious world, without anyone nearby, with unknown creatures wandering its depths, hadn't been the best idea.

"Sakura-chan," Fai said once Sakura sat down, "there's no predicting what kind of journey we'll be taking. I'm sure you're worried about retrieving your memories, but let try to make this an enjoyable trip." Fai took a long look at each of us. "It isn't often that people such as ourselves wind up together."

Our eyes flicked over each other. A magician, an archeologist, a princess, a warrior, and a weapon. Each of us, with the exception of Syaoran and Sakura, came from different cultures and worlds. We each had distinct advantages and experience we could use. If worked as a group, we'd be a capable team. _Has a group like ours, so diverse, ever been formed before?_

When the moment faded, Fai turned to Syaoran. "Was everything okay in the lake?"

"Oh!" Syaoran said, an excited smile growing, "There was a town down there!"

I started, scanning Syaoran's eyes for dilated pupils and listening for an elevated heartbeat. He could have encountered a mind altering chemical in the lake, but finding both normal, I crossed my arms. "Slow down, and explain."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Syaoran told us about a glass dome he'd found on the bottom of the lake encasing a tiny city. The light that burst from the lake had been a glowing fish. Syaoran said he thought it must have been the town's sun. Worry nagged at me. This fish, that glowed much brighter than any creature I'd seen, seemed to spectacular. If this fish had swallowed Sakura's feather, which would line up with the power source changing places, then getting it could be an issue.

"This fell off it," Syaoran said, holding up a gold scale the size of a plate.

Fai took it and turned it over in his hands. "I see. The people of this world live underwater."

Mokona balanced on Fai's head, leaning forward to get a good look at the scale. "The strong power from before is the same kind of power coming from that scale."

"That means . . ." Syaoran said, frowning.

"There's no feather," I finished, rubbing the bridge of my nose.

Mokona nodded. "Mokona senses no other strong power than this."

"So this world was just a waste of time," Kurogane said, glaring at the scale.

"But it looks like Syaoran-kun had fun," Sakura said, offering Syaoran a soft smile.

Syaoran grinned back at her. "It's always fun when I get to see something wonderful with my own eyes."

"So," I said, "is everyone ready to move on?" A collective glance between us found no one felt the need to stay, so I plucked my jacket from its branch and shrugged it on.

"Ready?" Mokona asked. A round of nods and Mokona bounced into the air, wings unfurling from his back. The iridescent glow from the magic circle at our feet set the fog around us alight, hiding the forest beyond from view. Byeond the glow, the shadows of the trees blurred together, folded away, and we were gone.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Freezing air hit me across the face as snow crunched under my boots. I sucked in a breath, coughing as my lungs adjusted from sweltering humidity to icy cold. As I looked around, my breath ghosted through the air in front of me. Mokona dropped onto my shoulder with a giggle, ears flicking as he looked around.

We stood halfway up a snow-cover hill dotted with pine trees. The moon hung like a coin next to a bank of dark clouds. Fat snowflakes drifted out of the sky, covering anything more than fifteen feet away with a static-like blur. The flurries strangled any sound, leaving the eerie quiet only snow could command.

"It seems this world's colder than the last," Fai said, standing and brushing the snow from his coat.

Kurogane pulled one foot from the snow, glaring at it. "Well, this is great."

Sakura held out her hand, watching with wonder as a snowflake drifted onto her palm. "What is this?" she asked.

"It's snow," I said. "It's what happens when it rains, but it's cold enough for the water to freeze as it falls."

She looked from the melted snowflake in her hand to me. "Do you have snow in your world?"

I shrugged. "Occasionally." There was snow in the cities sometimes. But I usually saw it when I was in the field. I didn't hold the same wonder for it as Sakura did.

Sakura started shivering, but still seemed mesmerized by the snow around her.

The System elevated my heart rate and forced some of my blood vessels to constrict as I peeled off my jacket. It would only work for a short time, being the rough equivalent of a fever, but it would do for now. I held the jacket out to Sakura. "Here."

Sakura held up her hands, shaking her head. "I couldn't. You'll get cold in just a shirt!"

"I'm better off than you are," I said. "The System can keep me warm for a while. But you're already shivering, used to an arid climate, and going to get hypothermia very fast in just that." I nodded to her light desert clothes. She took the coat with a worried frown and pulled it over her shoulders.

Fai took off his overcoat and held it out to Syaoran. "Here, Syaoran-kun, you can borrow mine."

"Thank you." Syaoran took the coat with a nod and pulled in on.

I scanned the distance for a spark of light or any sign of civilization. Down the hill, beyond some of the pines, I thought there had been a flicker of light. Squinting, I walked down the hill until The System focused on the light. A tiny flame, its glow dancing on the corner of building, came into focus, but it was too blurry to see the rest of the building. But there wasn't a tower stretching out of the forest, so it had to be small enough to hide behind the trees.

"Mokona," I said, "is my brother here?"

Mokona tapped his feet. "Hm . . . Oh! I think Nathaniel's here! It feels funny, people are tricky, but I feel something."

I started, hope hitting me in the chest like the recoil of a rifle. "Really? Where?" I held out my hands and Mokona jumped onto my palms.

"There." Mokona pointed ahead and to the right, roughly the direction of the light.

"That's great," Syaoran said with a smile.

"What about a feather, Mokona?" Fai asked. "Can you sense that?"

Mokona blinked, tilted his head and frowned. "No, I don't feel one."

I took a deep breath before turning to the others. I needed to start looking for Nathaniel. "There might be a town we could stop at before the weather gets nasty. But I'll need to go after Nathaniel quickly. I don't know what you all want to do, but if you want to stay behind, I'll return after I've found him."

The others looked at me, then at each other.

"I'd like to help you," Syaoran said, his eyebrows drawn in determination. "You've helped me recover the princess's feathers, so I'd like to help you."

Sakura nodded in agreement. "Me too!"

"Count me in," Fai said. "I don't want to stay in some boring town while you're off having fun. Besides," he grinned, "if I helped Syaoran-kun and not you, that would be favoritism." Fai slung an arm around Kurogane's shoulders. "Kuro-pin can help too."

"Stop it with the names!" Kurogane snarled, shrugging the man off.

I frowned. "If Nathaniel's here, Adrian could be too. He's dangerous, remember."

Fai shrugged. "Looking for feathers has also been dangerous. And this situation is a lot like Syaoran-kun's. You won't move on from this world until you've found your brother, so neither can we. It'll go faster if we work together." He elbowed Kurogane in the ribs with a mischievous grin. "So you're coming right?"

Kurogane glared at Fai, batting his arm away. "Of course I'm coming!"

I nodded, glancing over their faces one more time, waiting for a shadow of reluctance to cross any of their faces. But it didn't appear. They seemed so certain and ready to help, it was strange. It wasn't that I didn't appreciate the help, I did, but this kind of thing was so unfamiliar to me, I felt a little off set.

I turned away, starting down the hill towards the distant light between the trees. But a second later I paused in my steps. "Thanks." I said, over my shoulder before continuing through the snow.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:** This is the updated version of chapter 8 (10/10/17).

**Two Years Ago:**

Adrian ordered me to his office one afternoon without explanation. In the elevator, I'd been near panicked that he'd found out about the ID chip, but when I arrived, he seemed busy, not angry. "Sit," he said, pointing to a chair without looking up from his screen. I did, waiting for him to continue, but he kept working. After a while I sat back and took out my screen to check the news.

Ten minutes later, someone knocked on the office doors. I turned off my screen and tucked it back into my pocket.

"Enter," Adrian said, closing his screen.

A man entered in full uniform, snapping a salute. He was young, for a soldier of the Facility, probably in his early thirties. I'd seen him in the halls occasionally for about the past six months, but otherwise, he was unfamiliar.

"Director Raiten, thank you for coming," Adrian said, standing to shake the man's hand. Adrian's smile glowed with charisma and his posture radiated control.

"Of course, sir. What can I do for you?" Raiten asked. When the handshake ended and Adrian sat back down at his desk, Raiten sat in one of the chairs facing the desk and our gazes locked.

"Sir," Raiten said, his can-do demeanor dropping a notch, "what's that doing here?"

I returned his stare silently. When passing me in the hall, most of the Facility's personnel's pulses quickened, and any smiles or conversation died. Raiten wasn't any different.

"Don't worry about Alice," Adrian said, waving away his concern. "She's here for other things. Now," Adrian opened a file on his screen, "you directed the recent strike in Yetz. How would you say that went?"

Raiten glanced at me once before devoting his attention to Adrian. "Overall: well. We took the city quickly, within two weeks, and with minimal loss of Elpedite lives."

"Please," Adrian said, "go into detail: the whole mission from start to finish, and your reasoning behind your decisions."

So Raiten recounted his original plan to take the city of Idon, and why he'd changed it once the Yetz had brought in drones. It was the perfect report, which Raiten delivered with professional enthusiasm. But half way though, something about Adrian's reactions felt off. If Adrian wanted this report for information, he'd be asking about details, testing Raiten's facts and decisions, so why wasn't he? Instead of Raiten, I focused on Adrian. He sat back in his chair, resting his head in his hand as he listened to Raiten, and for a moment he appeared so relaxed, I thought I was over-thinking it.

But then I followed Adrian's gaze. He would regularly look from Raiten to his screen, then back to Raiten. But instead of watching Raiten's face, he watched his hands, shoulders, sometimes his neck. To be sure, I activated The System, using it highlight Adrian's line of sight. I was right.

I'd let Raiten's report fade into background noise, so when he stopped talking, I realized I had no idea what he'd said.

"Excellent," Adrian said. "You have a good mind for this work, and I've only heard good things from your peers."

"Thank you, sir."

Adrian closed his screen and leaned forward. "As you should know, in a few weeks the council and I will be meeting with the Rane of Synia."

Synia, and its ruler, were allies of the Elpedite. At the meeting, Adrian would likely discuss the joined attack on the Yetz, as Synia had been talking of withdrawing from the war. I was going to be at the meeting as a member of security.

Adrian held out a folder to Raiten. "I'd like you to join me for the conference as a representative of our military force." I hid a frown. Adrian didn't need a military representative. Any point he wanted to make, he could without Raiten's help.

Raiten stood and accepted the folder, a practiced smile spreading across his face. "Thank you, sir. I'd consider it an honor."

"Wonderful." Adrian clapped his together and rose from his desk. "Everything you need to know will be in there." They shook hands again. Raiten saluted, then left.

The moment the door clicked shut, Adrian's smile dissolved into a look of irritation. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Did you pick up on that?"

"I saw you watching him," I said, crossing my arms. "What were you looking for?"

"A lie." Adrian leaned back against his desk, smirking at the door. "I found it."

"And?"

"He's here to kill me."

"Huh?" Why would anyone in the military want to kill Adrian? He had everyone convinced he was some kind of hero.

"He's from Yetz." Adrian folded his arms, "I'm almost certain. My sources can't trace him back more than ten years, and he's received too many promotions, too quickly." Adrian smirked at me. "And he's been following you."

I gripped the sides of my chair. "When?" I'd only seen him a few times. And why would he be watching _me?_ I was a deadly machine in his mind, so why hang around me if he was a traitor?

"I think he's interested in The System," Adrian said. "But he doesn't know the details of it, so he probably wants to know how you function."

"Hmm." I'd be keeping track of Raiten from now on. I wasn't too concerned—he was only a Director—but it bothered me that I hadn't noticed him. "What are you going to do about him?"

"Observe him, for now. If he approaches you, handle it as quietly as you can, then report to me immediately," Adrian's stared into the distance. "I want to use him. If he figures out what you are, he might try to make a deal with you. If he does, stall and come see me. Use your best judgment."

"Is that why you're bringing him to the meeting?"

"That's why I told him he was going to the meeting. I'm unsure he'll take this chance, so be ready to deal with him."

So I'd likely be the one to kill Raiten. Either after Adrian used him for whatever purpose he had in mind, or in some quiet corner of the Facility. But regardless, Raiten would be dead soon.

"Fine," I said, rising from my chair. "Was that it?"

"Yes, you can go." Adrian waved me away.

"Wait," I said. "How did you know he was lying? Couldn't he have been nervous or excited?"

Adrian tilted his head. "Good question." He held up a finger and half pointed it towards me. "If you need to tell if someone is lying: talk about something that should be innocuous, but could pertain to a secret. If they overreact, they're hiding something."

"Hmm." I filed away the information for later. I wasn't sure when I'd use it, but it seemed valuable.

I left Adrian to his scheming and headed for the elevators. Adrian would wait for Raiten to speak with me. If Raiten didn't approach me before the meeting, I'd be ordered to kill him in some quiet room of the Facility. But I didn't understand why Adrian would want an assassin to attend the meeting, or why he'd let him speak to me. Adrian knew I wanted to kill him, I'd never hidden my murderous intent from him. I radiated my hatred for him with venomous glares and a cold voice.

So what was Adrian after?

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I shrugged off my coat, throwing it onto the dining room table before collapsing onto the couch closing my eyes. Nathaniel would be back in about an hour, when his class ended. I'd finished my training, then practiced at the shooting range, without using The System.

Shooting without The System had become a habit. I still used it regularly, but for at least thirty minutes a day I'd shut it down and use my eyes, hands, gun, and nothing else. It made me feel in control.

I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, Nathaniel was perched on the other end of the couch. Across from him, Ruetile's projection leaned over a game-holo and Mika sat on the floor observing both of them. It was one of Nathaniel's flashy games, with miniature fireworks and annoying music every time someone captured a piece.

"Oh, good morning," Nathaniel said as I shifted awake.

"Good afternoon, you mean," I said, checking the time. I stretched and leaned forward. "How was class?"

"It was all right." Nathaniel selected a game piece, and tapped an empty square. The piece spun across the board and onto the space. I hadn't played this game, so it was nonsense to me, but Nathaniel had a concentrated furrow between his eyebrows. It was the same look he wore when he was studying a difficult lesson, or made a mistake, so he was likely loosing this game.

"He's failing biology," Ruetile chirped, smirking at Nathaniel.

Nathaniel glared at her. "I am not."

"No, he's not failing," Mika said, rolling his eyes. "But you are starting to struggle."

Ruetile moved one of her pieces. Nathaniel grimaced. "We're studying the immune system. I can't tell the difference between a macrophage or a helper T cell or phagocytes, and I don't need to."

I wasn't sure what those terms meant, but if they were part of the immune system, they seemed important. I raised an eyebrow. "Don't you want to be a doctor? That stuff sounds pretty applicable."

"I want to be a doctor, not a pathologist," Nathaniel said. He swiped a hand, and one of Ruetile's pieces vanished with a blue flash and an obnoxious jingle.

Mika and I made eye contact. "Does he need to know that?" I asked.

"Yep." Mika shot Nathaniel an amused glance.

Nathaniel opened his mouth, likely to protest again, but I spoke over him. "Can you help teach him that stuff?"

"Of course. Biology is one of my favorite subjects, so I don't even need to download the information."

"Hah!" Ruetile barked a laugh as one of Nathaniel's pieces exploded.

He crossed his arms. "I'm still winning."

I was glad Mika would be able to help Nathaniel, as he'd done with much of Nathaniel's education. Nathaniel outpaced me in his level of education a few years ago. My education had stopped five years ago, and Nathaniel was very bored, and very smart. He'd blazed through his lessons and left me with little way to help him once he started the harder ones. It gave me a feeling of inadequacy, but Mika's assistance lessened the feeling.

A quiet evening passed. Well, quiet for the three of them. They played several rounds of their game, after which Mika and Nathaniel studied for a while. Ruetile and Nathaniel played a spinning, endless tune on the piano. Eventually Nathaniel went to bed while Ruetile and Mika shut down for the night.

I finished the night feeling relaxed, despite the illegal ID chip hidden in my room and the strange predicament with Raiten.

The calm wouldn't last, but I enjoyed these fleeting moments between war and Adrian's games, when I could find them.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The training room seemed cavernous at night, the shadows seemed to push the walls out and the ceiling was lost in darkness. I stood of front of a punching bag, practicing a basic set of blows: jab, cross, hook, uppercut, now as instinctual as breathing. I could get lost in the repetition as the impact of my punches echoed off the walls.

It was something like two in the morning. I didn't want to sleep or stand still, and I didn't want to wake Nathaniel. If he knew I was up, he'd come sit by me until dawn. But he had class in the morning, so I'd abandoned our rooms and come here to burn away some of my volatile energy.

I delivered another cross, but before I could strike an uppercut, the training room door hissed open. I held my stance and pivoted around the punching bag to get a view of the door. I'd expected a janitor, maybe a lost member of the night staff. Instead Adrian stood just inside the doorway.

Resuming my strikes, I tried to maintain my usual cold demeanor. But I remembered the stolen ID chip, and panic edged my thoughts like rust. He shouldn't be here this time of night. If there was some last minute mission, he would've called me.

I needed to lose myself in the pattern, use the familiarity to keep the panic away. If I focused on this, I could remain calm, and if I was calm, he couldn't read anything from me. _Jab._ "What do you want?" _Cross, hook, uppercut._

"Sit down."

My wrist buckled on the next punch.

There's a strange air around frozen lakes during a snowfall. The snow smothers the usual sounds of nature. The sounds of branches in the wind, bird song, the trickle of a stream are all swallowed by the snow. Only silence remains, except for the groans the ice makes as it settles on the lake. Warping, cracking echoes that fill the space between snowflakes.

When Adrian was angry, his voice would frost over with that sound, just along the edges.

I had to take a few seconds to chase away my fear, replacing it with anger. Usually, this strategy worked for me, but right now, I could only summon a sliver of rage. I lowered my arms and raised my eyes to his. He pointed to the benches along the wall, his hand clenched tight. I abandoned the punching bag and sat where he indicated. Adrenaline made the tips of my fingers feel fuzzy. I set my hands on my knees, reinforcing myself. I'd failed, and now the consequences were about to make impact.

Adrian stood a few feet in front of me, but I locked my glare on his shoes. He knew about the chip. It was the only thing I'd done that would have made him this mad _._ I'd screwed up. My thoughts dissolved into static. All I could do was grip my knees to try to anchor myself.

"How did you get it?" Adrian finally asked. He held out his hand, and in its center was the chip. I'd hidden it in my bed frame, since I couldn't keep it on my person. I hissed in a breath. He'd been in our rooms. With Nathaniel.

I opened my mouth, but Adrian spoke before I could. "Tell me _everything."_

My mouth snapped shut. I gave a sharp nod and took three rattling breaths, one breath for panic, one for anger, and one to accept reality. I wanted to jump up and strike him. Remove the threat he posed, and beat him until his blood dripped from my knuckles, but I couldn't. I wasn't strong enough. He'd bat me aside and the situation would be even worse for my retaliation.

So I told him about the mission, how I'd found the chips and folders and taken one, how I'd burned the matching folders and hidden the chip. I held my voice steady, sterile.

When I'd finished, he made a sound between a sigh and a growl. "What was your plan?" he asked. "What were you going to do next?"

"Wait until you had a busy day. One when you wouldn't call for me or notice if I was gone. I would've taken Nathaniel, stopped at a makeup booth to disguise myself, and gone to a rail station. I was going to use the chip to get us on a rail to Chav'i."

"And then?" he asked, an impatient growl in his tone.

I shrugged. "Find a job. Get a home." _Live_.

Adrian's gaze burned into the top of my head, but I kept my eyes low. He sighed, some of the anger draining from his stance. "I'd expected you to try something like this someday. You've always been explosive in your anger. I'm impressed you waited this long." He paused. When he resumed his voice held a tinge of disgust. "But this was just stupid."

I frowned as he sat on the bench next to me. "Not the first part," Adrian said, rubbing the chip in his fingers. "That was smart. But you thought you could make a life in Chav'i? Anywhere?"

I wasn't sure what he meant. Why it would be such an issue? He read my confusion from my silence.

"I'll tell how your plan would have gone," he said. "Maybe you would have left the Facility and arrived at the rail station. Probably not, but you might have made it that far. If you managed to get to Chav'i, where would you have been hired? What are you good at?"

My eyebrows drew together. I realized what he was trying to tell me, and it left me cold.

"Nothing," Adrian said. His tone cut at me like a razor. "Nothing but fighting and killing. You don't have the social skills to manage even a basic job. If you wanted to educate yourself, you'd have to pay for your schooling, but you wouldn't even be able to pay for Nathaniel's. That would leave you working at the mines. They'd pay you enough to live on, barely, but you'd be working twelve hours shifts every day. You'd have no time for Nathaniel and no money for his education." Adrian paused, letting me recover from the barrage. "The only work you'd find would be the same thing you do now."

Despair constricted my chest, leaving my breaths short and painful. There was _nothing_. Nothing I could do to make this situation with the ID chip better, nothing I could do to get Nathaniel and myself away from Adrian, nowhere we could go, and no one who would help us.

Back at the beginning, I'd told myself I would wait. I couldn't do anything then, but I'd wait for the moment I could escape, fight, anything. There might have been a window for action, but if there was, it had already closed. It would never open again.

I finally looked at Adrian. His green eyes almost glowed in the dark, glinting with rage. But I thought I saw a sliver of sympathy as well, and it felt like a blow to the stomach. "This can get better," he said. "This can be your job; you can build a life like this. I know I've kept your leash short, but if you show me you're loyal, I can make things better. Maybe you'd like a house, outside of the facility?"

I frowned. My thoughts drifted back to me, away from the static they had become. But they were still cold and indistinct. Adrian, the bench beneath me, the training room, even my hands felt distant and unfamiliar. "A house?" asked the tiny part of me keeping up with the conversation.

"Yes, one that's entirely yours." I ran a numb hand over my face before letting it drop back into my lap. I wanted that, a house. But I didn't want the life that it would be tied to. "It will have to be isolated," Adrian said, "but you might like that."

"Oh." I couldn't get away from this. I didn't want this. Nathaniel didn't want this. I didn't want to become this person. But that was the problem: I already was. "Okay," I said, my voice sounding flat even to me.

"Good." Adrian slapped a hand onto my shoulder. "Show me you're taking this seriously, and you'll get a house. We'll start there, then we can talk about more." I nodded. He stood, pocketing the chip. He turned and left, leaving me alone in the shadows.

I didn't cry, I hadn't in years. Instead I just felt tired, like I'd always felt this coming, always been struggling against it, but now that it was here, I didn't have any energy left to be anguished.

My life would be better now. No more fighting this: I could just give up and follow Adrian's instructions, never having to think for myself. Nathaniel would be happier, and this could put him on track for a more normal life. But I'd be killing for the rest of my life. I'd always be _this._

I rose to put away the punching bag, my movements feeling stiff and mechanical. When I released the bag, my hands shook, and instead for turning left when I exited the training room, towards Nathaniel and the regret I'd feel when I saw him, I went right, towards the shooting gallery.

**Present:**

"I do believe we're being stared at," Fai said, leaning forward to rest his chin in his hand. Tables, chairs, and people crowded the floor of the wood and brick building in an unorganized mess. Barmaids weaved through with practiced ease, balancing trays and glasses. A huge fire crackled in the fireplace, welcoming the crowd and filling the upper half of the room with haze. The place stank of smoke and alcohol, but the heat and shelter had been a relief after our hike through the snow.

My shoes, the bottom part of my pants, and my hair were soaked by the snow. I'd taken off my boots to dry, but there wasn't much I could do about the rest.

Syaoran leaned across the table, glancing at the sea of people around us. "Our clothes are completely different. We stand out too much."

The moment we'd entered the building all eyes had locked on us. It wasn't a mystery why. The clothing of this world was bizarre. The men wore thick coats, some with handkerchiefs around their necks, stockings pulled over their pants to just below the knees, and clunky boots and shoes. The women's clothes were even stranger. They maneuvered around the room in frilly dresses that constricted their waists, but billowed out into skirts that took up five times the space the woman did. It was a wonder they could navigate a crowded space like this, let alone breathe.

Kurogane ignored the stares, or didn't care, as he tore apart a steak he'd ordered and Mokona edged toward his plate like a giggling hyena.

Sakura sat next to Syaoran, her head constantly pivoting as she tried to take in the room's activity all at once. Her eyes were bright with curiosity, so I didn't think she'd fall into another sleeping spell soon.

"Our clothes are different." Fai shrugged. "Especially Kuro-tan's."

Kurogane shot a glare at Fai and might have tried to growl something at him past the steak.

Syaoran glanced back at the tavern owner before leaning in closer. "Will everything be all right? I mean, the food."

"Hm?" Fai tilted his head.

Syaoran's eyebrows drew together. "We don't have any money for his world."

"We'll be just fine."

"Are you saying we should steal?" I asked. "We could, but that would bring up more issues with the law enforcement here we need to consider." This town was fairly small, which mean we wouldn't be able to hide in it. Leaving the town would mean hiking through more snow, and with no idea of how far the next town was, that would be dangerous with how ill-equipped for the cold we were.

Fai laughed. "No, that won't be necessary. Right, Sakura-chan?"

"Huh?" Sakura said, blinking.

"How will she help?" I asked. I couldn't think of how Sakura would help us with this. She'd been narcoleptic for our journey so far, and hadn't displayed any expertise that I could remember.

Fai put a hand to his chin and looked over my shoulder. "I'd say that game over there would be a good start."

I twisted in my chair to see two well-dressed men playing cards a few tables over. Their clothes were full of ruffles and their faces were white with makeup. I turned back to Fai with a frown, unable to connect Sakura to money to these men. But Fai was already moving to help Sakura from her seat.

Minutes later, a bewildered Sakura sat across from two men, blinking at a fan of cards in her hands. Fai and Syaoran stood behind her, coaching her, I assumed. Syaoran seemed all right with the idea of Sakura gambling, and she didn't protest, so I decided to let them deal with whatever would happen. Gambling could get us money, but I had no idea why Sakura was our chosen gambler.

I remained at the table across from Kurogane, who'd ordered another steak after Mokona snatched the first. He tore at the second one with equal ferocity, occasionally pausing to bat Mokona away.

Watching the bustle of the tavern, I sat back and crossed my arms. I knew we had to establish ourselves in this world before anything else, but knowing Nathaniel could be here wore down my patience. He wouldn't like this world. It was too cold and there wasn't even electricity.

I closed my eyes and dialed up my hearing. The tavern buzzed with conversation, but I focused on a few voices and listened for anything useful. After several conversations of farm work, weather, and general life, one final broke from normal chatter.

"They just disappear."

"How do you mean?"

"In the middle of the night, they vanish. The rest of the town's lost their minds. Carter had to go through there about a week back and they chased him off the moment he stepped into town."

"Can hardly blame them if—"

"What the heck is going on?" My eyes snapped open and I turned to look behind me. One of the men playing against Sakura stood halfway out of his seat, glaring at her. I dismissed the conversation I'd followed, redirecting my focus to the sneering man. "Maybe you're cheating."

Maybe she was. But the man's anger meant she was winning, so that was good news for us. Fai scooped an assortment of coins and bills off the table into a bag, grinning.

"She had no opportunity to cheat. But," Fai pointed over to our table, "if you have any complaints, the two in black over there will be happy to hear them."

I wasn't sure how intimidating I appeared. I was just a kid, but that might be irrelevant. To these men, I was a stranger in all black, scars up my arms with enough muscle to imply I was used to hard work. The sword on my hip and angry glint in my eyes probably solidified the look of a fighter, but that was juxtaposed against my age, which must have left them with the impression of something off about me. To be sure, I unsheathed my knife, held it up, and spun it between my fingers.

With Kurogane, there was no question. Upon hearing Fai reference us, he glowered over at the men or Fai—probably Fai—with a growl.

The two men burst into nervous laughter, throwing their hands up. "S-sorry. Never mind! It's fine."

Fai held out an arm to Sakura. "Thank you, Sakura-chan. Because of you, our treasury is well stocked."

Fai, Sakura, and Syaoran returned to our table. Our barkeep, a large man with a bristling mustache, came over after they sat down. "Young lady, I'm impressed!" As he approached, Mokona darted off the table and onto the empty chair next to me, out of the man's sight.

Sakura gave him a nervous smile. "I still don't understand the rules. Did I do okay?"

The man bellowed a laugh. "And you're good with the jokes too!" He eyed us each for a moment. "Your clothes are . . . unusual. Are you travelers?"

"Yes," Syaoran said, "We've been searching for something, and it's taken us a long way."

"And your next destination?" the man asked.

Syaoran glanced at me. "We're not sure yet."

The man nodded, his cheer vanishing. "Then I have some advice for you. If you're thinking of travelling north, choose another direction." The man's mouth had become a firm line, and his shoulders tightened. I straighten in my seat, uncrossing my arms. I'd dismiss his unease, but he'd handled our appearances well. Whatever he was talking about, it was more than some quirk in their rumor mill.

Fai propped his head in his hands. "Why would that be?"

"There's a town to the north with a frightening legend connected to it."

Syaoran straightened. "What legend is that?"

The man set down the tray on an empty table beside us and folded his arms. "Long ago, in a castle just north of that town, there was a beautiful princess with locks of gold. One day, a bird with a feather in its beak flew down to the princess. It gave the feather to the princess and said, 'This feather is power, a strange and wonderful power, and I give it to you.' And the princess took the feather. Soon after, the king and queen died and the castle passed to the princess. With that, the children of the castle's town began disappearing one by one, as if they were drawn to the feather. And the children never returned." My gaze settled on my knuckles, and I realized I'd unconsciously clenched my hand into a fist. It could just be a legend, but the part about the feather kept me from dismissing the story.

A feather with 'strange and wonderful power' sounds too much like the feathers Sakura and Syaoran are looking for. But Mokona said he hadn't sensed a feather.

_But first._ "Mokona," I whispered, "the reading you're getting on my brother—what direction is it coming from?"

Mokona folded his ears back. "North."

I closed my eyes. "Of course."

"That's a fairy tale you're telling us," Fai said.

"No." The waiter shook his head. "It's all true."

Syaoran had that determined light in his eyes, the one that sparked up whenever a feather was mentioned. "So," he said, "the northern town and the castle really exist? If it's been more than three hundred years they must be in ruins by now. But even with a story like that connected to it . . ."

"If it was over three hundred years ago, why avoid it now?" I asked.

The man gave me a nervous stare. "Because the children have started to disappear again, just like in the legend."

Our group shared a look, before everyone's eyes fell on Syaoran and Sakura. Syaoran frowned. "I'd like to go," he said, "even if Mokona said there isn't a feather here. But I said I'd help you . . . "

He trailed off when I raised a hand. "We don't need to split up or anything," I said. I nodded to Mokona, "It seems I need to go north as well."

The barkeep's eyes darted across our group, his eyebrows low in bewilderment. I almost saw him give a mental shrug as Fai handed him a handful of coins and he bustled back to the kitchen.

When the man was out of eavesdropping distance, Syaoran faced me. "Do you think your brother will be near that town?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I've seen nothing to contradict it yet, and with the mention of a feather, it seems strangely coincidental. But," I looked at Mokona, "I thought you said you didn't sense a feather in this world?"

Mokona sprang back into motion. "Mokona doesn't!" His ears fluttered. "Mokona can't sense anything."

Fai nodded. "But it's still worth looking into. A legend about a powerful feather seems awfully specific."

Kurogane slapped down his fork and knife next to his empty plate and pushed away from the table. "Then let's get this done." He strode towards the door.

The rest of us shared a glance and followed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I grappled with my horse's reigns, trying to get the creature back under control. The horse whipped its head and stomped, settling down when I gave another yank on the reins. " _Why,_ " I hissed, "would anyone think of animals as a good form of transportation?"

Fai laughed, walking his horse passed me with ease. "Alice-san, maybe you should loosen the reins a little? I think you may be confusing him."

I followed his advice, letting a few inches of the lead slip through my hands. My horse snorted, but stopped trying to rip the reins from my grip.

When Sakura had won her game, she'd earned more money than expected. Enough to get us all new clothes, food, and horses. Buying clothes had been interesting. Syaoran and Sakura had been fitted quickly with little fuss. Kurogane and Fai followed, Kurogane insisting on black clothing.

I'd baffled the tailor. Apparently, your gender strictly defined the style of clothing you should wear. When the tailor came to take my measurements, he started talking about styles of skirt and color. Maybe the women in the tavern could maneuver in those dresses, but I couldn't. I'd had to carefully explain to him that, yes, I wanted an overcoat and pants, yes, I was certain, and yes, I am a woman but you're getting paid for this and I'm in a hurry so do your job. After that he'd been happy to let me purchase a blue and grey overcoat, trousers, a suffocating neckerchief, and boots. Over all, it was better than a dress, but still a heavy and stiff outfit.

That had been yesterday. Today, I'd had spent the last six hours learning how to ride a horse. Watching the others, who all had some experience riding, taught me how to place my feet and how to sit. I'd improved through the day, but I was still making mistakes. Like yanking the reins too hard.

I tapped my heels against the horse's side gently, to avoid getting bucked off, and the beast lumbered into a nice trot. In the front of the group, Sakura shared a horse with Syaoran. Behind them was Fai, then me, and Kurogane in the back.

The order had shuffled on occasion on our journey to the northern town, the road wide enough in some places for us to ride in a group instead of single file. We'd met no one on our way, surrounded by leafless trees and snow.

"This forest is certainly spooky," Fai said, admiring the dead trees.

Kurogane snorted. "I don't care about that. It's getting colder, isn't it?"

I ran a check with The System. "It's dropped to thirty degrees. When we started we started it was around forty."

Fai pondered the overcast sky. "It could snow soon."

Syaoran looked at Sakura. "Are you all right?"

Sakura smiled and pulled her cloak tighter. "I'm fine. These clothes are very warm."

"Ah," Fai said. "Sakura-chan, your country is in a desert, isn't it?"

"Yes," she said, "but the desert at night can be very cold."

Fai leaned over to Kurogane. "And your country, Kuro-rin?"

Kurogane's gaze stayed fixed on the path ahead, but the hint of a glare settled over his features. "Japan is a country with four seasons. It's cold in the winter and hot in the summer."

"Alice-san?" Fai asked.

"My country," I said, trying to guide my horse away from the edge of the road and a patch of grass, "has gentle climates." On our trips away from the facility, I'd spent many days sitting in the grass with Nathaniel, letting a cool breeze run between us as we admired the mountains and pines. "It can get hot, and it sometimes snows, but it mostly rains a lot."

Mokona, who rested in Fai's collar, asked, "What about your country, Fai?"

"It's in the far north, so it's very cold."

"And you, Syaoran-kun?" Sakura asked.

"Well," he said, a nostalgic smile on his face, "my father brought me along with him to many different countries."

"So," Sakura said, "you're used to cold _and_ hot countries!" I thought I caught a bit of sadness in Syaoran's smile. It would make sense, as a childhood friend of his, this shouldn't be news to Sakura. But Syaoran hid it well, and I wasn't sure I'd hadn't imagined it.

"Look!" Mokona cried. He pointed ahead of us, and I followed his paw to a sign on the side of the road. An elegantly carved wooden board hung from an iron pole, the paint faded and cracking. There were characters on the sign, but I couldn't read them. We pulled our horses to a stop under it, gazing at it as it swung in the wind, chains squeaking.

"Hmm," Fai said, "what does it say?"

"It says 'spirit." Syaoran said. "At least I _think_ that's how it's read. If they pronounce the letters the same way as the language my father taught me."

As Syaoran explained, I guided my horse around him to stand in the center of the road. We stood on the crest of a hill, and below us the road wound into a town. The buildings were all made of wood, with the largest no bigger than a townhouse. Smoke billowed from the chimneys of every building. Most of them appeared to be homes, but I couldn't see anyone in the streets.

I leaned forward on my horse, standing on the stirrups to get a better view as I used the System to sharpen my vision and increase my hearing. The streets were empty; I couldn't even see someone on a doorstep. Silence and the whispers of the wind were all I heard. I was about to look back to the others, but in one of the windows of the houses, a curtain fluttered.

"Hmm," Kurogane muttered. I glanced over at him, and our eyes met. Something was wrong here.

Syaoran, Fai and Sakura were oblivious, chattering about Syaoran's linguistic skills.

"Hey!" Kurogane barked. "This isn't the time for cheerful conversation."

The others jumped, then turned their gazes toward the town. "It's the middle of the day," I said. "People should be out, working, playing, or clearing snow. Mokona, is Nathaniel here?"

Mokona's ears fluttered. "He feels close here."

"Right then." I flicked my reins and started down the trail. The others followed, silent as we approached the town.

When we reached the first row of houses I started scanning the windows. I'd catch the flutter of movement or a sliver of a face before the curtains fell closed. I used The System to increase my hearing and found a clamor of whispers fluttering through the houses.

"Who are they?"

"Get away from the window!"

"Go tell James. Quickly!"

The snowy streets were untouched, with the exception of a few trails of footprints. I wasn't sure when it had fallen, but a hard layer had formed on the surface of the snow, so I guessed it had been at least a day.

"I have a feeling," Fai said, his voice low, "that we aren't entirely welcome here."

"It's not just a feeling," Kurogane said. "They don't want us here."

A click sounded to our left, and a child swung open a house's door. Freckles peppered her face, framed by a corkscrew set of pigtails. She clutched a stuffed toy cat and stared up at us with sleepy curiosity.

Syaoran gave the girl a soft smile. "Hello. Could you tell me if this town is—"

The door jerked open and a woman's hand reached out, snagging the girl by her arm and wrenching back into the house. The door slammed shut and two locks click into place, followed by a woman's earnest whisper. "You know you're not allowed outside!"

I wanted to listen more and try to gather more information, but a stampede of crunching footsteps rose behind us. Yanking my horse's reigns, I spun the animal around, Fai and Kurogane doing the same. Syaoran didn't move, keeping his back to whatever approached, setting himself between it and Sakura.

A mob of townsmen stopped in front of us, rifles leveled. Blue lines crisscrossed the air between us and the mob, each one the line of fire. At least three pointed at each of our hearts. Without realizing it, I angled my horse so that I faced perpendicular to the mob, presenting a smaller target. My hand closed over air at my hip, and I realized I'd reached for my nonexistent gun. I clenched my hand into a fist over the space, frustration coiling in my muscles.

"Who are you people?" shouted a man at the front of the mob. He didn't have a gun pointed at us, but he did have one slung across his back. His eyebrows furrowed into a seething glare.

I took a slow breath and reminded myself that they hadn't shot us yet, so they must be open to talking. I'd never been good at talking. I could fight and shoot, but negotiating wasn't in my skill set. So I kept my mouth shut and hoped Kurogane would do the same.

Syaoran spoke, his voice level. "We travel from town to town investigating old legends and buildings."

Good, not too far from the truth; it was a good idea to keep a lie simple. We'd need to stay here and look around, so this would be a good excuse for our nosiness.

The man sneered, his eyebrows arching like angry cats. "What do you do with this 'investigation?"

Syaoran, with the most matter-of-fact tone, said, "We're going to write a book."

_There goes simple._

"A book?" the man barked.

"Yes," Syaoran said.

"Written by children like you?"

"No," Syaoran pointed to Fai, "written by him."

Fai nodded, picking up the lie without a blink. "It's all true." He waved a hand at Sakura and Syaoran. "This young lady is my sister. The boy is my assistant." He pointed to me and I stiffened, waiting to see what role I'd be assigned. "This is Alec, our guide."

All right. I'd be a boy for our stay here. It'd better to appear predictable to this explosive town: a boy, rather than a girl dressed as one. Anything new or strange was usually met with violence by frightened populaces.

"And he's the hired help," Fai said indicating Kurogane.

Kurogane's head snapped around. "Who's the hired help—?" Kurogane's sentence ended in a snarl as Mokona, who had hidden behind Kurogane, launched himself into the man's lower back.

A shout rang out behind us. "Stop right there!"

I twisted in my saddle to see a man dart between our horses. He had a lanky build, a pair of spectacles perched on the edge of his nose, and his dark eyes glowered at the men before us. He swung a threadbare bag with his angry steps.

The man set himself between us and the guns of the townsmen. "Don't you dare point guns at innocent travelers!"

The men's furious expressions faded into concern as they lowered their rifles. The man in front glowered at us before speaking to the newcomer. "But at a time of crisis like this, outsiders . . ." Their instant response meant this man was some figure of authority, or at least great respect, in the town. I wondered what position he held to get this kind of obedience.

"It's precisely because they're outsiders that your guns are so rude." The peacekeeper turned to face us, arms open wide. "Please forgive us, travelers. And I welcome you to Spirit."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I'm Kyle Rondart, the doctor of the town" Kyle said, walking backing into the foyer with a tray of steaming mugs. The doctor, after talking down the town's militia, had offered to let us stay in the old inn he used as a home and office. The building stood two stories high, made of brick and dark wood with a plain iron chandelier hanging from the ceiling, flickering with candle light. Combined with the crackling fireplace and soft couch, it was a cozy place.

"Thank you so much for putting us up," Syaoran said. He stood next to Sakura, who sat on the couch. Fai leaned on the other side and Kurogane leaned against the fireplace, arms crossed. I hung back, behind the others and the couch.

"Think nothing of it," the doctor said, handing each of us a mug, "I have more rooms than I can use."

I sniffed and found the sharp scent unfamiliar. I took a small sip. It tasted vaguely similar to coffee, but less bitter, almost spicy. Maybe some cinnamon? It could have been tea, but one I wasn't familiar with. None of the others seemed put off by the drink, so I absently sipped at it as they spoke with Kyle.

There was a moment's warning as the door handle clicked, then the front door slammed open.

"What is this supposed to mean, doctor?" A man strode into the room, his face set in a dark scowl and a cane tapping alongside him. "Are you insane, taking stick-at-naught strangers into your home at a time like this?" He towered above his companion, a hunched old man scuttling along at his side.

"Mr. Grosum," the old man begged, "please calm yourself."

"Who can be calm in this situation, mayor?" The man slammed his cane down with a crack. "When we haven't found a single child!" His eyes met mine, accusing, before darting to the others.

"Exactly why I took them in," Kyle said. "These people say they've been investigating legends throughout the lands. There is no telling how much help they could be in our current situation."

Kyle surprised me. In one regard, this wasn't a terrible idea. From his point of view, we were researchers who could potentially help. However, it was incredibly naïve to trust a bunch of strangers who suddenly appeared in town after the children started disappearing. But maybe he had assessed both of these possibilities and invited us to his inn to observe us. Whichever was true, he was smart. I'd have to watch him.

Mr. Grosum scowled at us. "A bunch of good-for-nothing travelers from god knows where. What could they possibly know?"

Kyle waved a hand at us. "They could know things that no one who lives here knows."

I held back a snort. He didn't know how right he was.

"After all that's happened," Mr. Grosum said, his voice lower, "whatever they know, it's too late." He spun away, stalking out of the house.

The mayor glanced between Kyle and Mr. Grosum. "I-In any event, doctor, please make sure these people do not go out of doors at night." The mayor shuffled after Mr. Grosum and Kyle closed the door behind them.

"Forgive me," Kyle said. "He gave me no time for introductions. That was the mayor and Mr. Grosum. He—Mr. Grosum, that is—owns most of the land in this area."

Fai leaned forward, giving the doctor a sympathetic smile. "We've come during a terrible time for you, haven't we? We heard the legend in the next town over."

The doctor sighed, his gaze falling to the floor. "I, too, assumed it was a fairy tale, I never believed that children would actually begin to go missing. We put every effort possible into the search, but we never found even one of them. And now the number is as high as twenty!"

My eyebrows shot up. Twenty kids. Twenty children who'd disappeared was certainly alarming. But it was also ridiculous. How did twenty kids just vanish? What kind of security did this town have? Although, twenty missing kids _would_ justify the hostile greeting.

Sakura put a hand over her mouth. "That many . . . "

The doctor frowned, determination setting his mouth in a thin line. "But I didn't lie to the mayor and Mr. Grosum. I don't care how trivial the knowledge seems, if you know anything that might lead us to find the children, please tell us!"

Kyle's request opened a door for me. I could tell him a simplified story about Nathaniel, only telling him that he was missing and I was searching for him. Nathaniel could be among the missing, but if my brother was here, in town, then Kyle could tell me and this would be over. But if not, he could know something about Nathaniel. Kyle was seemingly the kindest person we'd met so far, so he was probably the person to ask. This could get him to mentally place me on the same side as the rest of the town. That would mean I'd have to distance myself from the others, but only be when the town was watching. I'd inform them of my plan once Kyle left.

"Doctor Kyle," I said, remembering to deepen my voice to fit a boy's, "I've come here with more personal reasons than my companions." I took a step forward and raised my hearing until I could listen to his heartbeat. Kyle might be the good person he appeared to be, but those people were very rare, and I wasn't ready to accept that he was one of them. If what I was about to say made him nervous, I wanted to know it. "My younger brother is missing, and I heard he'd been seen in this town. He has short black hair, like mine." I raised a hand to chest height, "He's about this tall, and his eyes are blue, but he wears an eyepatch over his left eye."

While I spoke, I listened to Rondart's breathing, his heartbeat. I thought of Adrian, of how his eyes always found the signals of a lie, and I tried to channel his cold logic. This wasn't the neutral kind of topic Adrian advised me to use, but it might tell me something.

Rondart held his hands at his side, a relaxed stance. His eyebrows drew together, but that was likely an expression of concern. "I'm sorry," Rondart said, sympathy in his voice, "but you're the only newcomers we've had in a long time. I haven't seen any children with that description." His breathing remained steady, but his heartbeat rose. I frowned. That could indicate a lie, though it could also indicate honest empathy. His hands remained still and his eyes stayed fixed on mine. I'd assume he was telling the truth.

If Nathaniel wasn't living with the townsfolk, but was nearby, I'd count him among the missing. That left three possibilities, only one of them good. Either all the missing children were alive somewhere, Nathaniel among them, or they were all dead. That was terrible enough. But the last possibility was that Nathaniel had been here, but the town had turned him away and left him to the cold. Mokona had said Nathaniel's presence felt odd. What if that meant he was dead?

A bolt of dread shot through me before I crushed it. Nothing had changed. I was still focusing on finding Nathaniel. Whatever the results, I could deal with them later.

But if he was dead, I'd kill whoever was responsible.

I let that icy promise set in my heart. "Thank you," I said. I'd managed to keep my expression calm, but I could only smooth my voice from sharp to stiff. "But my source was very reliable. If my brother isn't in the town, he could be among the missing children. I'll do everything I can to help find them."

Kyle beamed. "Thank you. I'm grateful for any help."

I managed to give him a tepid smile in return. Until I found Nathaniel, I wouldn't take anyone's word as truth.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"The good news is we have rooms for the night," Fai said.

We stood in the hall on the second floor of the inn. We'd been left to select our own rooms after Kyle had left to assist in another night's search. A window in the hall showed him joining a team of men, each with a lantern, as they disappeared into the shadows of the town. Sakura watched the party disperse with a worried frown.

Fai nudged Syaoran with an elbow. "That was a smooth move out there, telling them we're writing a book."

Syaoran grinned. "The same thing happened when I was traveling with my father."

Fai sat on the windowsill, watching the search party. "The situation is grave for these people. Although there's no telling whether it has anything to do with the princess with locks of gold. Alice-san, what do you think?"

I studied the trees outside. "For now, I'm going to assume it's a person and not some magical phenomenon that's responsible. We should consider both, but we shouldn't trust anyone. This town is too isolated for a traveler to be responsible and go unseen. I'm going to try to get closer to the town to find the culprit, which means distancing myself from the rest of you." I glanced at each of them. "Tomorrow I'll go on my own to investigate some things. There are some techniques I know from my world that help solve situations like this."

Fai stretched, pushing off from the windowsill. "That's a good idea. I think we'll all be doing some sleuthing tomorrow. For now, though, we should get some sleep."

"Right," I said.

Sakura's head bobbed and she stumbled forward. Syaoran gasped, lunging to catch her under the arms.

Fai laughed. "And I imagine Her Highness could use some rest."

Syaoran and Fai carried Sakura into a nearby room, laying her in the bed. I followed them in, taking off my coat and hanging it on the corner of the other free bed in the room.

"Alice-san," Fai said, "not that I'm objecting, but if you're posing as a boy, wouldn't it be odd to sleep here? Maybe you should take your own room."

"I think it best if I sleep in here," I said, leaning against the bed frame. "I'll be awake before anyone else, so I'll leave the room before Kyle or anyone notices. And I don't think it's wise for any of us to sleep alone while were here, especially Sakura. Kyle might trust us, but the rest of the town certainly doesn't. Scared people do stupid things."

Fai propped his hands on his hips. "That's a good point. Syaoran?" Fai and I looked to Syaoran for approval.

"I think that's a good idea," Syaoran said, glancing from Sakura to the window.

"All right," I said.

"Mokona will stay too!" Mokona flew from Fai's shoulder and onto Sakura's bed, landing on the pillow next to her with a giggle.

"Well then," Fai said, "goodnight." He left the room with a wave.

"Goodnight," Syaoran said, his gaze lingering on Sakura before he followed Fai out of the room.

I shut the door behind them and checked for any locks I could use. There wasn't a keypad by the door, of course. The only mechanism I could find was a bolt on the door and frame. I slid it into place, giving the door a good tug after to test it. Satisfied, I walked to the window and latched it.

I scanned the room, giving it a final check. Sakura and Mokona were asleep, the window was secure, and the door was locked. Now I just had to wait until morning.

Staring out the window, I slumped onto my bed. I didn't want to sleep tonight, not with so many uncertainties around me, so instead I watched the street, waiting. A man with a lantern patrolled, peering down every road. He marched from view, then the glow from his lantern disappeared as well.

Hours later, snow had covered the man's footprints, leaving a white sheet across the town. Snowflakes shivered down from the sky and crows shuffled in the dead tree branches.

Sakura groaned, rolling over and rubbing her eyes. She sat up, blinking at me.

"Did I fall asleep again?" she asked.

"Yes," I said, shifting to face her. "We're in one of the inn's rooms. The others are down the hall."

She nodded, looking from the door to the rest of the room. When her eyes landed on the window, she jumped to her feet.

I stood, following her line of sight, but there was nothing. Only the empty street, the snow, and the birds. "What is it?" I asked.

Sakura ran to the window, pressing her hands against the pane. "It's the princess with the locks of gold!"

The crows took off from the branches, flying low over the snow. I moved to stand behind Sakura, trying to find the woman she was talking about, but there was no one there. The System analyzed the street, checking for anything matching a human figure. It targeted some of the tree branches, but those were errors, so I dismissed them. Nothing else came up.

"Sakura," I said, frowning, "I don't see anything."

"What?" she said. "But she's right there." She pointed to the middle of the vacant street.

"Here," I said, "move over for a moment."

Sakura stepped aside and I unlatched the window, shoving it open and letting in a gust of winter air. I listened and heard only the flutter of birds' wings. "Can you hear anything?" I asked.

Sakura looked from me back out the window. Her eyes moved like she was following something. "No," she said. "she's quiet."

"You can see her walking in the street?" I clarified.

"Yes."

"Is she leaving footprints?"

Sakura frowned, then her hand flew to cover her mouth. "No!"

I leaned forward, looking her in the eyes. She was coherent, and she was speaking in complete sentences, so I doubted she was sleep walking. I wanted to try one last thing.

"Sakura, can you see the yellow birds?" I asked. I knew when some people were half asleep, you could manipulate their dreams by suggesting things.

Her face scrunched in confusion. "No, the birds are black."

I sighed. "You're right. I was trying to make sure you weren't dreaming." I ran a hand down my face and tried to keep my mind open. Something magical must be happening, but the woman would be leaving footprints if she were just invisible. This didn't make sense. Magic didn't make sense. There were no rules for me to work with. I couldn't apply logic to something that's nature was to defy it.

"Oh," Sakura gasped, "she's gone!" The street only held snow now. Even the birds were gone. "Should we go look for her?"

My eyebrows rose in surprise. "Why?"

"What if she's taking the children?"

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. I couldn't go out. I'd leave footprints in the snow, which would bring accusations in the morning, especially if a child did vanish.

I shook my head. "It's not a good idea to go after her. I can't see her, you don't know where she is now, it's the middle of the night, and the townspeople don't trust us. We should talk to Fai about this tomorrow. He might have some insight."

Sakura nodded, but she fiddled with the fabric of her skirt.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Is— " She frowned. "If you couldn't see her, does that mean she was a dream?"

"Maybe." I shrugged. "But magic seems to react strangely around me."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Oh, right. You weren't around for most of it. In Koryo, we had to get into the Ryanban's castle, but there was a magical barrier around it. We made a deal with Yuuko to get a magic orb that would break the barrier. Syaoran was able hold the orb without any problem, but when I touched it, it burned me. Then, later, when we fought with a witch, she used magic acid to attack us. It hurt the others badly, but it didn't work on me. So," I nodded to the window, "if the princess is magical, I could be unable to see her."

"That's strange," Sakura said.

I nodded, reaching up the close the window, cutting off the cold air, and relocking it. I sat back on my bed, setting my elbow on my knee and resting my head in my hand as I watched the street.

"So should we go back to bed until morning?" Sakura asked, sitting on her bed.

"Nothing else to do," I said.

She nodded and crawled beneath her covers. After several minutes passed I thought Sakura had fallen back asleep, until she spoke. "Are you going to sleep?"

"No," I said.

"Are you sure?" she asked, "I mean, you looked very tired last night, at Chu'Nyan's house. If that was last night. I'm not sure how long it's been anymore."

"I was," I said, "but I don't need to sleep as often as most people." That might have been a lie. I wasn't sure if The System reduced my need for sleep, or if I'd inadvertently conditioned myself to ignore sleep deprivation.

Wait, Sakura had noticed I was tired? When I woke up in Koryo, I found a blanket draped across me that hadn't been there when I'd fallen asleep. "Sakura, were you the one who gave me a blanket?"

"Yes," she said, "I thought you might be cold."

"Hmm," I said. "Thanks." The word came out stiffer than I'd intended. She'd reminded me of Nathaniel, when he would sit next to me on the nights I couldn't sleep.

Sakura gave me a warm smile before rolling over and pulling her covers up. After a few minutes her breathing slowed along with her heartbeat. This time she was really asleep.

A tap drew my attention to the window. A crow perched on the windowsill, it's head tilted and eye glinting as it peered in at me. It watched me for a few seconds before it flew from the window and into the night sky.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** This is the updated version of chapter 9. (2/20/18) And with that, I've finished revising this fic! Please look forward to a new chapter soon.

**Two years ago:**

Raiten was illusive the week after Adrian's offer. In the glimpses I'd gotten of him, he'd been walking briskly to some other part of the Facility. But a few times, I caught his gaze before he looked away and ran off.

It grated on me. He should approach me with an offer, or stop watching me. I wanted him to make a decision so we could all get this over with. I didn't care if I had to kill him, but I still didn't know what Adrian wanted. I knew the deadline to figure it out was the meeting with the Rane of Synia.

I wanted to know what Adrian's plan was, to have some control. But I also wanted to stop caring, to just let Adrian do all the thinking. After he'd discovered the ID chip, and our talk in the training room, I kept running through my options and ending with shot nerves and a headache.

So when Raiten showed up on the floor only Adrian, Nathaniel, and I could access, I was already frustrated.

I'd just said goodnight to Nathaniel and left for the shooting range. The morning after Adrian discovered the ID chip, I'd asked Nathaniel if anything strange had happened, but he said he hadn't noticed anything. So I'd hidden what happened from Nathaniel. He didn't need to know. He was afraid of Adrian already and he almost never saw the man. As the door closed behind me, the ring of the elevator echoed down the hall.

Frowning, I quickened my steps. I hadn't called the elevator, which meant Adrian was visiting, but he rarely came here. Footsteps echoed on tile, too fast to be Adrian's. I rounded the corner.

I stopped as Raiten froze, our eyes meeting. He held a small metal box. A blinking screen took up most of the front of the device with rows of buttons beneath. On the side between Raiten's fingers was a row of ports.

"You don't have clearance for this floor," I said, my voice cold. Raiten shouldn't be here. Even if he didn't know of Nathaniel's existence, this was too close. If he didn't have a satisfactory explanation, I'd kill him.

Raiten took a deep breath and slipped the device into his pocket. "I have special permission. Don't worry about it." He took a step forward.

I set myself in his path. "That wasn't a question," I said, dropping any civility.

Raiten's composure cracked as he tried covering a wince. "Alice, as your superior, I order you to stand aside."

He still thought I was a machine. He'd expected me to back off with his order. "I don't have a rank," I snapped, "but I'm more important to Adrian than you." I raised my voice. "Computer: lockdown the floor."

"Lockdown confirmed, Alice," the sterile voice of the AI system replied. Bolts snapped into place behind the elevator and other doors.

Raiten spun toward the elevator before turning back to me. "What are you doing? I'm Director Raiten! Why aren't you following commands?"

"I know who you are, Raiten. And I'm not going to obey you." I took another step closer. "How did you get to this floor?"

Raiten ignored me, pulling the device from his pocket and jabbing several buttons. When he looked up, I had my handgun leveled at his head.

"You should start talking." I wasn't going to warn him again.

"You're not a machine," he said, his face slack in realization.

"No."

His eyes widened as he focused on the gun and paled. He understood the situation now. "I used this." He waved the box.

"Throw it to me," I said, gesturing with my free hand. He hesitated, but tossed me the box. I glanced at it, unable to decipher its purpose, before tucking in my back pocket. I'd give it to Adrian later.

"Why are you here?" I asked. Raiten slowly raised his hands.

"I was looking for you." He glanced to the door behind me. If he'd been looking for me, he wouldn't have tried to pass me. So he'd been looking for whatever device he thought I responded to. He'd assumed I operated on a system with a mother computer sending signals to the drones.

"You were going to try hacking me."

He nodded, lowering his hands an inch and looking me over with confusion. "What are you?"

"A human. I was born like you."

"But you're a kid." Raiten grimaced. "Shit, you were announced five years ago." His face contorted as his did the math. Adrian had introduced me as Alice to the rest of Elpedite five years ago to roaring applause. I'd been twelve at the time.

"What did he do, brainwash you?"

I snorted, now certain that Raiten was a Yetz infiltrator. It was dangerous to talk about Adrian like that. "No, I hate Adrian."

Raiten's eyebrows rose and his hands lowered a few more inches. He was silent for a moment and I watched thoughts flicker behind his eyes. "If you hate him, then help me."

Frowning, I remained silent, my aim unwavering. I didn't know if I should shoot him or follow Adrian's instructions and make some kind of deal with him. My first thought was to shoot him just to upset Adrian's plans, or at least annoy him. It would be justified, considering he'd made it to this floor, and Adrian told me to use my own judgment. But that wouldn't accomplish anything. Adrian had said I could start earning more freedoms if I committed to working for him. Might as well start here.

Raiten stiffened as I considered him, his heart-rate rising as his gaze darted around the hall, looking for an out.

"Help you how?" I asked, lowering my gun, but not holstering it.

Raiten took a deep breath, letting his arms drop. "During the meeting between Adrian and Synia's Rane this week. The original plan was to use you to assassinate the both of them, then steal you." I frowned. "But if you're a person, then you can help me and we can escape to Yetz. If you hate Adrian, why stay?"

The plan was doable. Raiten suggested there were people waiting to whisk us back to Yetz, which covered our escape. And we were both scheduled to be in the room, so infiltration wasn't a problem.

But Raiten didn't know that Adrian had his own System, even better than my own. The moment Raiten reached for his gun, Adrian would plant a knife in his neck.

And I was a weapon. Machine or human, it didn't matter. The Yetz wouldn't let me go. I was too valuable, too dangerous. Even so, I'd play along.

"Your people can get us out?" I asked.

"Yes." Raiten sighed, his shoulders sagging. "we'll have several hovercrafts outside the building, ready to go."

"What would I do?"

"During the meeting I'd signal you. I would shoot Adrian and the Rane, you would remove the other members of security. Then we run."

"All right. But one change," I said, "I kill Adrian. There will only be two other security members in the room. I can get those two and Adrian in less than a second." The demand was a mixture of genuine malice and a calculated claim. I'd negotiate responsibility for Adrian's safety, which he'd approve of, and I wouldn't seem suspiciously easy to recruit.

"That's fine," Raiten said. This must seem like an amazing turnabout. A moment ago, I was about to kill him, but now he was alive and had my allegiance.

"But," Raiten pointed to my pocket that contained his box, "can I have that back?"

"No," I said. "I don't want you coming back here. That and the elevator to this floor is monitored. Someone may have noticed your interference, so I'm going to have to erase those records." That was a lie. The elevator was monitored, but after I told Adrian what happened he'd dismiss any alerts. I holstered my gun and grabbed his elbow, marching him to the elevator.

"You'll need it to erase the records?" he said it like a half statement, half question, so the box must have the capability.

"Yes," I lied. "Computer: Release lockdown and call elevator."

"Confirmed, Alice." The elevator doors unlocked with a click before sliding open.

Raiten stepped inside and I braced an arm against the door. "If you need to talk to me, find me after training. But don't come back here, or our deal's off."

Raiten gave me a solemn nod and I stepped away. The doors slid shut.

I'd followed Adrian's orders. I had Raiten's trust and his plan. Now I had to deliver the news to Adrian. I grit my teeth and after a few minutes, called the elevator. I still didn't want to report to Adrian when I didn't know his plan. But if I concealed this, he would kill me. Because Adrian would find out, like he had with the ID chip, and he wouldn't tolerate another betrayal.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"That's perfect. Nice work," Adrian said, smirking.

"Perfect?" I said. "He broke onto my floor and wants to kill you. He never should have gotten this far into your ranks."

Adrian raised an eyebrow, his smirk growing. I waited a moment for him to speak, but he didn't.

"Fine. Then what am I supposed to do now?" I followed Adrian's logic so far. He'd invited Raiten to the meeting to catalyze Raiten's plans and reveal his intentions. He'd done that by speaking to me. Now I'd have to kill him.

"Nothing for now," he shrugged. "I'll have more instructions for you the day of the meeting, but until then, don't worry about it."

"What? He's an _assassin_. If I'm not going kill him, who is?" Why wouldn't I be the one to kill him? I hadn't killed anyone in the Facility before, but only because it hadn't been necessary. Now that it was, I couldn't think of a reason to hesitate.

Adrian gave me an amused stare.

"What do you want?" I asked, my calm tone slipping into a growl.

Adrian sighed. "If you're trying to discern something and are at an impasse, ask a different question."

I was asking plenty of questions. "What question?"

Adrian laughed. "Not that one." He pushed off from his desk and walked back around it. "Go do whatever you feel like for now. Update me if Raiten's plan changes."

It was a dismissal. I rose from my chair and strode out of the office, fists clenched. He wouldn't tell me anything, and I couldn't figure this out. I smashed the button for the elevator. Time would keep barreling on like always and eventually punch me in the gut.

The elevator arrived as my anger drained away, bled off by the future's inevitability. As I descended, I tried to convince myself that I didn't care what Adrian did. I couldn't stop it and someone would probably die, but people were always dying. This time it still wouldn't be me or Nathaniel, so I didn't care.

I'd follow Adrian's directions and stop caring about the consequences. Adrian would keep his war machine of a country running. The same country that hadn't blinked when my family vanished, or when Adrian announced a new weapon that looked like a twelve-year-old girl.

The meeting was in three days.

Two of the most powerful people in the world would be in the same room as an assassin.

And I didn't care.

**Present**

"Good morning." Fai waved as he entered the hall. I nodded in return, pulling my attention from the window and town outside. Even after the sun came up, I'd watched the streets, wondering what had happened last night.

After the woman Sakura saw vanished, the rest of the night had been quiet. As dawn approached, I'd slipped into the hall to wait for the others to wake. I'd been trying and failing to tie my neckerchief when Fai arrived.

Fai leaned against the railing opposite me. "Did you and the princess sleep well?"

"Actually," I said, "Sakura saw someone last night. A woman that looked like the princess of legend walking down the street, but I couldn't see her."

Fai's eyebrows shot up. "Well, that's certainly something."

I nodded. "She didn't leave footprints in the snow, and I couldn't hear anyone. There has to be magic involved, right?"

"There could be. Are you sure it wasn't a dream?"

"Positive."

Fai glanced at the door to Sakura's room. "I'm not sure what it could have been, exactly. We can talk with Sakura-chan when she wakes."

"All right," I said, undoing my neckerchief's knot again, resisting the urge to tear it off and fling it out the window.

Fai glanced out the window. "You said there are some techniques to find out what's happening here. What are they?"

"It's hard to know before I look around," I said, glaring at the houses of the town. "It's more about how you look at things and what they mean. I know there are tests that can be done, but I don't have the knowledge or materials."

"Then what will you be looking for?"

I frowned. "Fingerprints. If I can find a set that's consistent between the homes of the missing kids, that would point to a good suspect. Same with shoeprints." The townsfolk hadn't mentioned any signs of violence, just that the children vanished, so I probably wouldn't find and blood or weapons. Hopefully that meant the children were alive. If I could test for DNA, this would be easy, but that wasn't possible here.

Fai raised an eyebrow. "Why are fingerprints so important?"

"They're unique to each person. No one has the same fingerprints as someone else."

"Hmm," Fai said, inspecting his fingertips. "Will you be able to tell if the children are alive?"

I shook my head. "I don't know what the motive could be." I knew they were probably dead. Most missing children who weren't found within forty-eight hours were either found dead or never found at all. And anyone who didn't make it into a warm building for the night would freeze to death here.

But I'd gone missing, and I was alive. I wouldn't give up until I was sure they were dead. And if they were alive, I'd find them and Nathaniel and take them home.

I tied the finishing knot in my neckerchief, pulling it tight.

"Well," Fai said, "no one has mentioned any signs of violence, so besides their disappearance, there's no sign they've been harmed." Fai voice dropped to a sympathetic tone. "So there's no evidence that your brother's been hurt."

I glared at the floorboards. "Right," I said, sharper than I'd intended. But Fai didn't seem to mind, flashing me a smile and letting the conversation drop.

As time flowed by, Kurogane, Syaoran, and finally Sakura emerged from their rooms. Sakura cradled Mokona as she entered. "Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning Sakura-chan," Fai said. Kurogane grunted a greeting.

Syaoran bowed. "Good morning, Your Highness."

"All right," I said, turning to Sakura. "We need to talk about what you saw."

Syaoran frowned, glancing between us. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Sakura said. "Well, I'm not sure. I saw a woman in the street last night. She had long gold hair, like the princess in the legend."

I crossed my arms. "But I couldn't see her and she wasn't leaving footprints."

"Sakura-chan, did you notice anything else strange about her?" Fai asked.

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed. "Her hair was strange, like it was floating." I was surprised she hadn't mentioned that last night, but I suppose a detail like that would be overshadowed the other circumstances.

Fai tilted his head back in thought and opened his mouth, but before he could speak, a woman's cry cut him off. "My child!"

We all turned to the window. The woman stumbled into the street as the townsfolk materialized from their houses. The man who'd led the town militia ran to her.

"She's gone!" the woman sobbed as the man took her hand. "I can't find her. She's gone!" She clutched something to her chest with her free hand. It was a stuffed toy cat. The same one that the girl with the corkscrew pigtails had been holding.

I grimaced. Leaving the window, we headed out of the inn and into the muttering townsfolk. I knew they would be suspicious of us, and I braced for it. But the whirl of whispers surrounding us, so many I could only pluck out a word here and there, buffeted against my calm.

The militia leader put a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Someone broke in?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "The window was opened from the inside. But I told her not to touch the locks. It must have been the golden-haired princess!"

Sakura looked to me, her eyes wide. "It was her!"

"Her?" I winced as the man spun on us. "What do you mean by that?" He marched towards us, glaring at Sakura. But Syaoran set himself between them, leveling a hard stare at the man.

Sakura took a small step to the side, so she could see the man past Syaoran. "Last night, I saw a woman in a flowing white dress and golden hair walking the street." The whispers around us turned to gasps and a few sobs.

"It's the princess!"

"The curse!"

"—northern castle."

The mayor and Mr. Grosum arrived, Mr. Grosum's stride parting the crowd as he came to stand in front of us. Kyle appeared in the same moment, running through the mob.

A flicker of confusion broke my thoughts, and it took me a moment to place it. Where had Kyle been this morning? I hadn't heard anyone else in the inn besides us. I filed away the thought as Mr. Grosum spoke.

"Calm down," he bellowed and the crowd's shouting subsided to quiet muttering.

Kyle ran to Mr. Grosum, out of breath. "Another child vanished?"

"Yes," Mr. Grosum snapped before turning his glare on us. "Where were these people last night?"

"They stayed in the inn all night. My room is next to the door; I would've heard them leave." My eyes widened in surprise for a fraction of a second. But forced my expression back to calm neutrality before anyone saw.

That was a lie. When we'd left, I hadn't heard anyone in that room. Maybe he'd stepped out for a few minutes for an innocent reason, but it seemed like a strange coincidence.

The mayor sighed, his back slumping even more. "People," he addressed everyone, "we're doing no good here. We should start searching." The people hesitated, passing hopeless glances around. Then they dissipated into the town, either wandering the streets or venturing into the woods, the mayor and Mr. Grosum among them.

Kyle gave us an apologetic smile. "Shall we head back to my home? I'm sure you'd all like some breakfast."

"Actually," I said, "I'm going to speak to the mother of the missing child." I wasn't hungry, and didn't want to waste time.

"Are you sure, Alec?" Kyle asked.

I nodded. "I'll return when I'm done, but don't wait for me." I directed the last part to the others.

Fai turned to the inn, grabbing Kurogane by the shoulder. "It'll be fun to watch Kuro-pu try to use a fork again."

Kurogane snarled and jerked his shoulder from the man's hand, but followed him and Kyle. As Syaoran passed me, I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Don't trust Kyle."

Syaoran frowned and glanced at the man. "Why?"

"He wasn't at the inn this morning, so he can't alibi us for that time. He just lied to us. And the town." Syaoran's eyebrows flew up. "Tell the others once you're alone, and don't let Kyle know we're suspicious."

Syaoran nodded. "I thought we could ask him about the town's history of the legend and investigate where that led."

"Good idea. I may be gone a while. I'll catch up if I need to." I dropped my hand from his shoulder and stepped away.

Syaoran half turned away and raised a hand. "Good luck."

I waved in return and trudged through the snow. As I passed them, some of the townsfolk glared at me or avoided my gaze. I spotted the mother of the missing child, two other women at her side comforted her.

The woman didn't notice my approach, but her friends stiffened. "Excuse me," I said, bracing myself, "I think I can help."

A fire flared behind the eyes of the woman's companion and she stepped toward me, half hiding her crying friend. "Go back to the inn and stay away if you want to help."

I stood firm, but kept my stance relaxed, inoffensive. I wouldn't try to prove myself trustworthy. They had no reason to believe me and I had no proof. But I could prove myself _useful_.

"My father was a detective," I lied. "He taught me some of his work. If you let me look around, I could find something that could lead us to the children." I directed the last part to the mother. She'd quieted as I spoke, looking at the stuffed cat in her hands.

Her friend opened her mouth to speak. From her expression I guessed she'd tell me to leave again, but the mother spoke first. "You could find Amelia?" The friend glanced between me and the woman with a frown, before she sighed and stepped back, letting her address me directly.

"I might," I said. "I can't promise."

The mother watched me for a moment, her watery gaze holding mine immobile. "Fine," she said, "do as you like. I suppose there's nothing left to lose."

"Thank you," I said. I didn't know if she believed me, or was too drained to care. Before I could step away the woman's friend seized my arm.

"No," she said, "I'm not letting you go through her house without supervision." She looked over my shoulder. "James!"

I turned to see the militia leader look our way. When he saw me, his expression darkened to a glare.

"Is he bothering you?" James asked as he approached.

"He wants to look in Rebecca's house. She gave him permission, but I don't want him in there alone."

"Rebecca," James said, "you don't need to do that. I'll take care of him." James gripped my shoulder, wrinkling the fabric of my coat. I beat down the urge to throw him off. I'd try diplomacy, but if he got in the way of finding my brother, I'd move him.

"It's fine, James," Rebecca said, straightening. "There no more harm to be done, and if there's any chance to find Amelia, I'll take it. But it would be comforting if you accompanied him." She addressed me. "Please go. Tell me if you find anything, but if not, don't come back."

I nodded and James released his grip. "Thank you," I said.

"Come on," James snapped. I followed him to Rebecca's house. James stepped aside but leveled a finger at me. "Don't steal anything, don't break anything, and don't leave my sight."

"Understood." I tried to stay polite. He was irritating, but his response was understandable. As long as he didn't get in my way, his distrust was fine.

The front door was ajar, left open in the woman's hysteria. Rebecca said her daughter must have unlocked a window, but I wasn't sure. Rebecca had been in a panic, so she could've made assumptions.

I pushed the door open and scanned the ground, letting my bangs fall to hide the light of The System in my eyes, and used The System to highlight the shoeprints in the dried snowmelt on the floor. One was small, Amelia's, and a larger print half that must have been Rebecca's. Carefully, I walked in. I saved the two sets to The System and started comparing them with other tracks.

James shut the door behind us. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for shoeprints." I raised my head when I'd checked them all. The fireplace was dark. On the left was a small wooden table and chairs, dented and scratched from use. Against the right wall was a rocking chair, hung with blankets, and beyond that, a hallway.

So shoeprints wouldn't work. Time to see about fingerprints. If I identified Rebecca and Amelia's fingerprints, then any others would be suspect.

I knelt before the fireplace and found a flaking piece of charcoal. Leaving my gloves on, I crushed the charcoal into powder. Now, what items would Rebecca and Amelia touch exclusively?

"Now what are you doing?" James asked, glaring at the charcoal dust.

"Looking for fingerprints. Their patterns are unique to each person and you'll leave an imprint of them on anything you touch. If I can rule out Rebecca's and Amelia's, then I can find the suspects."

James squinted at his fingers, then glanced back up at me with the smallest spark of interest in his gaze. "Rebecca doesn't let Amelia tend the fire."

I found a poker leaning against the fireplace. Gripping it under the handle, I brought it to the window. James watched as I dusted the charcoal over the handle. I rotated the poker, covering the handle completely, before hitting the rod to knock off any excess powder.

The cloud cover that hung over the town when we'd arrived had yet to lift, so the light was poor. But I was able to see prints, some smeared and some layered on top of each other. With The System highlighting the lines of each print, I was able to find three. I saved them.

I glanced back to see James's gaze flicking between the handle and his own hand, that spark of interest burning brighter.

"I've found three prints," I said. James held out his hand and I gave him the poker.

"I can see some, but this is a mess," James said. "How can you find them?"

"Practice," I lied. "Is there anything else only Rebecca touched?"

James sighed, the aggressive set in his shoulders slumping. "Maybe the knives in the kitchen."

We repeated the same process with the knives, which yielded four more prints. After that, the latches on the door too high up for Amelia to reach completed a set of ten. The System displayed them in my vision, there were some smeared areas, but they would work.

Then I set to work on Amelia's prints. I found a hairbrush on her dresser and James suggested I try the dresser handles. During out search, I found Amelia's shoes and took the opportunity to confirm the footprints in the doorway were hers. After dusting her hairbrush, dresser, and finally the candleholder next to her bed, I had all of Amelia's fingerprints.

"All right," I said, "which window did Amelia supposedly use to leave?"

"Here," James said, pointing to a window. A chair was pulled up next to it and it hung open.

I sprinkled the remaining soot onto the window's latch and blew away the excess. The smears of old fingerprints were overlapped by one new pattern. The System traced the print and matched it to Amelia.

"It's Amelia's."

"We already knew that."

"No. We suspected it." I leaned out the window, careful not to touch the frame. The sheet of snow under the window was uneven, but I need a different angle to get a better look. "Hmm. I need to go outside."

I paced through the house, giving everything a final examination before deciding there was nothing left I could find. I stepped out the door, clapping the remaining soot from my hands.

I crunched through the snow around the side of the house. I used The System to analyze the plane of the ground. Under the window, indents in the snow's surface lead away from the house and into the street. They were what remained of footprints. The storm had filled them in, but given what was left, they'd probably been made around two in the morning.

I rubbed my eyes and sighed. I should have slept last night. Amelia had opened the window, that was undeniable. Her mother wouldn't have let her touch the locks. But if she opened the window against her mother's wishes, that would mean there was someone else she trusted asking her to come outside.

But those tracks were alone in the snow. And Amelia had left her shoes.

Someone had asked her to open the window, and she had. Then they'd either picked her up and walked away, or Amelia had left to meet someone. The fact she hadn't yelled solidified my theory that she'd trusted them.

I glanced at James. This wouldn't go well. "James," I nodded to the tracks, "who do the children trust?" I hoped he would understand what I meant, that he wouldn't lose his temper, and, mostly, that he wasn't the culprit.

James glared from me to the impressions. "No one in Spirit would do this."

I turned to face him and put on the same voice I used when I had to recount a mission: empty. He needed to understand the situation, and the children didn't have time for his denial, so I had to be cold. "There's no forced entry. No sign of a struggle. She didn't yell, and she undeniably opened that window. Why, when her mother told her not to? Because some she trusted asked her to."

James's face reddened as his jaw clenched. I could tell he wasn't sure what to do or say. I'd made him angry, but he couldn't refute my words.

"I want to find my brother," I said, trying to gain back the spark of trust I'd earned. "Let me help."

James's rage boiled back down to irritation as he let out a steaming breath. "I don't know."

"What about Mr. Grosum or the mayor?" I wanted to include Kyle in the list, but he was well liked and I didn't want to destroy his cooperation, so I'd ask about him like an afterthought. I wouldn't ask about James himself. He seemed too gruff to be well-liked by children, and I didn't want to anger him.

James shook his head. "They're not around often enough."

"What about Kyle?" I asked.

"Of course the children trust him. But he's been supporting everyone as best he can, visiting the friends and family of the missing. And he stuck up for you. If he was responsible, it would be easier for him to blame you, not defend you."

"Right," I said. But it would also make him look like a naïve, goodhearted man. "Thanks," I turned back to the street. "I'll go back to Kyle's inn for now."

"Fine," James said, giving me one last glare before he vanished from view.

Tugging off my blackened gloves, I shoved them and my hands into my pockets. I smirked, allowing myself a moment to glare at the snow. I had a direction now.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I shut the door on the final room. It was empty, like the rest of the inn. I'd expected the others to be gone—Syaoran was still looking for Sakura's feather—but Kyle wasn't here either.

Stopping in the middle of the foyer, I crossed my arms. What was I looking for? Weapons? I didn't have any unknown prints from Rebecca's house to compare here. I didn't know if the kids were alive or dead, both of which would leave different kinds of evidence. I understood the town's lack of progress now: there wasn't enough information, and this world didn't have the technology to compensate.

Adrian's voice came floating to mind. "Ask a different question." I could almost see him watching me with a smirk, waiting to see what I'd do. I hadn't understood what he meant then, but I might now.

"Reevaluate," I muttered. I was thinking from my perspective. I needed to change that. Reverse it.

_If Kyle wanted to hide something, where would he put it?_ That was the better question.

He'd let us pick our rooms, so any guest room was out. Same with the foyer. But I hadn't seen the kitchen or Kyle's room.

I'd check Kyle's room first. The door to his room was unlocked, and after I'd entered I left it open. Since his room was by the front door, if he came home I would have to get out fast. I'd have three to five seconds warning if I could hear him coming.

Kyle's room was sparser than I'd expected. A made bed stood in the corner. The desk next to the bed had a stack of books and some papers. A wardrobe dominated the left wall.

I reached into my coat and retrieved my gloves, the ones from my world, and slipped them on. I opened the wardrobe, sweeping aside the hanging coats and inspecting the corners. Aside from the coats, there was a pair of shoes. I inspected the soles and saved the pattern in The System before putting them back. There wasn't anything else of interest, so I moved onto the desk.

As I searched, I replaced everything as I'd found it. The books and paper were in the same writing that had been on the town's sign, so I couldn't read them. I briefly flipped through each, and finding nothing of interest, replaced them. But in one of the drawers, I found a stack of three papers that looked different. They were yellowed, and while most of the other papers had tight, curved handwriting, this one had large looping curls that occasionally spiked before weaving back into the script. Underneath them were two more regular sheets with Kyle's handwriting, formatted like a list.

I pondered them, trying to retrieve some information or decide if I could steal them and show them to Syaoran later. The sound of muffled voices broke me from my thoughts. I recognized the other's voices and Kyle's.

I shoved the papers into the drawer and slammed it shut. I yanked off my gloves, shoved them into my coat and burst from Kyle's room as the front door swung open.

As Fai swung the door open, we made eye contact. Fai's expression flickered with surprise for half a second before his smile returned. He hadn't opened the door all the way when he stopped and turned to look back in one smooth movement. He said something, but I didn't hear what it was. I'd already pulled the door to Kyle's room shut and flown up the stairs without a sound.

Shutting the door to me and Sakura's room I breathed a long sigh. Even with The System, I hadn't heard them soon enough. If Fai hadn't blocked Kyle's view, I would've been caught. I leaned back against the door and listened.

The scuff of shoes on wood and Kurogane growling something under his breath filtered through the door. "Do you have to make house calls often?" Syaoran asked.

"Well," Kyle said, "I have to more and more lately. When the disappearances first started, I wasn't needed as much. But now that it's been going on for so long, and we still have no answers, everyone is afraid. Especially the children." I frowned. What kind of doctor was Kyle? I'd assumed a medical one, but now he sounded more like a psychologist. Was there any distinction here? "Ah, where is Alec? I thought he would've returned by now."

"He may be resting upstairs," Fai said. "He mentioned not sleeping well last night. I'll go check." It was a good excuse. And, incidentally, somewhat true. I was tired, and I didn't want to sleep tonight, so now might be the best time to rest. The others' voices lowered as a single pair of footfalls moved up the stairs. I pushed off of the door before Fai opened it and stepped inside.

"How did your search go?" I whispered.

Fai propped his hands on his hips. "It was . . . interesting. Syaoran was able to borrow a book from the mayor. It has the legend on record, so that's better than the scraps of gossip we've been working with. Also," he grinned, "the castle in the legend still exists. The ruins are a ways north. We went looking around there."

I crossed my arms. "Good. Did you find anything in the castle?"

"Well, we couldn't get inside." I raised an eyebrow as Fai continued. "There was a river in front of the castle. It was too dangerous to cross, so that was a dead end. But we did see Mr. Grosum."

"What was he doing?" I'd dismissed Mr. Grosum, thinking he was to stern to earn the trust of the kids, but it was strange that he'd be there. Maybe I should keep him in mind, and go check out the castle myself.

"Just looking, I think. He wandered away shortly before we left. Did you find anything?"

I sighed. "Nothing concrete. But Kyle has a lot of coincidences hanging around him. I know Amelia opened the window willingly, so whoever wanted her outside was someone she trusted. Kyles on list of people and he wasn't here this morning."

Fai's eyebrows rose. "Is that why you told Syaoran we should be cautious of him?"

I nodded. "He wasn't in his room this morning, when we left."

"Hm. Well, we can reconvene tonight." Fai pointed a thumb over his shoulder to the door. "So, do you intend to be asleep or awake for our story?"

"I'm going to sleep for now," I decided. I wanted to keep watch again tonight, and going another night without sleep wasn't a good idea.

"Sleep well then," Fai said, slipping out the door with a wave.

I shrugged off my coat and threw it onto the foot of my bed before laying down. The muffled voices from downstairs almost disappeared as I lowered my hearing back to normal. My thoughts bit and snarled at each other. Was Kyle responsible? He was trustworthy in the town's standing, but even so, why would the kids listen to him and ignore their parent's warnings? And dead or alive, twenty kids had vanished completely.

I rolled over and sighed, kicking my thoughts away. I couldn't figure anything out right now. I closed my eyes.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"So the doctor could be the culprit, huh?" Kurogane asked, before swatting Mokona off his bed with a pillow. The creature bounced back onto the blankets a second later, giggling. Syaoran stood in the corner, flipping through a book. On the other bed, Sakura sat and watched Mokona with a smile. Across from her Fai leaned against the bed frame.

"He's my best guess right now," I said. "Do you guys suspect anyone?"

"Mr. Grosum was at the castle," Sakura said.

"Which is strange," I said. "We should keep him in mind, but I don't think the children would trust him."

Fai nodded, a trace of a smirk on his face. "Mr. Grosum's like Kuro-pin: their faces are a bit too scary for the kids." Kurogane glared at him and Fai snapped his fingers, pointing at him. "Like that!"

"I'll keep watch tonight," I said. "If Kyle is responsible, he'll have to leave the inn, and we'll tail him. If he's not, then we'll follow the children and whoever is with them."

"That's a good idea," Syaoran said, looking up from his book, "but if we can't find anyone to follow tonight, and the townspeople find out we left . . . "

"Then we're back to being the town's scapegoats," Fai said, blocking a flying pillow aimed for his head.

"Right," I said, frowning at the snowflakes outside. If we left, Kyle would notice. If he was the culprit, that would keep him inactive, and if he wasn't, he'd inform the town. And our footprints in the snow would be his proof.

Sakura crossed the room to the window. She unlatched it, letting in a gust of winter air.

"Princess?" Syaoran asked.

Sakura leaned out of the window and twisted to look back up at the inn. After a moment her face lit up and she withdrew back into the room. "What about the roof?"

"The roof?" I echoed. "Oh." I joined her at the window. The roof of the inn had gentle slants to it, and during the night, it would be hidden by the dark. There was still snow. Someone might see the footprints, but if I could get the snow to slide off, then it wouldn't be an issue.

I turned to Sakura. "This will work." She smiled. "If I see anything, I'll knock on whoever's window is closest. Then we can move." I checked the street and, finding it empty, jumped up onto the windowsill. Gripping the frame for balance, I stood. I reached up and hoisted myself onto the roof.

Straightening, I turned to examine my outlook. Some of the streets were concealed by houses, but anyone sneaking through town would have to come into view. I couldn't help a cold smile as the wind tore away the steam of my breath. Tonight, I'd find who had my brother. And when I did, I'd fall on them like a lion, with fangs bared and claws ready to tear.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN:** I'm back! I think it's been more than a year since I've posted a new chapter, but I've been using that time to fix the entire fic. My beta reader has been amazing and their help and advice has been invaluable. If you read this pic before the fix, I highly recommend rereading the story. My writing has improved greatly and some story elements have been changed.

Please leave a review, they always make my day. Thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, and encouraged this fix when my writing skills were developing!

This chapter was posted 4/24/18.

**Two Years Ago:**

The meeting was today.

Nothing had changed since Adrian told me to wait. Raiten was still scheduled to be in the room and as far as I knew, no additional security had been put in place. Raiten had spoken to me briefly after one of my training sessions yesterday to confirm our plan, and having no other answer, I said I was ready. His plan to kill the Rane and Adrian was still set to succeed, with Adrian taking no preventative measures, and I couldn't fathom why.

I'd woken early and spent my morning watching the news and pacing through the living room. Onscreen, reporters rambled on about the Rane's arrival and her possible demands. They'd move onto Adrian's speech, or the Yetz threat, but then they'd come back to the Rane and repeat the loop. The same useless information peppered with lies and half-truths, again and again and again.

"What's wrong?"

I jumped as Mika flickered to being in front of me. "Where's Nathaniel?" I asked, stopping before I walked into his image.

"Upstairs, asleep. It's five in the morning. Why are you so worried about this meeting?" Mika glanced at the news, frowning. "You've done things like this before."

"Today is different," I said sitting down on the couch.

"Different how?"

I rubbed my eyes. "I don't know. I can't talk about it."

"Oh," Mika ran a hand through his hair, twisting the ends hanging by his shoulders. "Adrian was here a few nights ago. Does it have something to do with that?"

"No. That was . . . something else."

Mika glanced at the stairs, then the door. When he met my gaze again, it was his best blank face, but it still held trepidation in the wrinkle between his brows.

"What is it?" I asked.

"When—" He grimaced, then started over. "Nathaniel is getting restless. I think he wants to know when you two are leaving."

"What . . ." I trailed off. I narrowed my eyes at him, but Mika just blinked, waiting. Mika didn't ask about our trips. Even when Nathaniel was getting impatient, Mika let him voice that concern. Mika remained perfectly still, but shot a quick glance to one of the hologram projectors in the corner of the ceiling.

Mika had always been strange, even for an AI. His original had been a smart kid when he was alive, and that trait had magnified when he'd become an AI. Unlike Ruetile, who never mentioned she wasn't a real child, Mika seemed to have made peace with it.

So Mika knew his speech had words tagged to alert Adrian.

Mika was really asking: When are you _escaping_?

I sucked in a breath. He knew that I wanted to leave. Of course I would, but after my failed attempt with the ID chip, and my following conversation with Adrian . . . I'd stopped thinking about it. Escaping used to be an overwhelming task, but doable. But I realized sometime in the past few days I'd stopped thinking of it as intimidating, and started thinking it was impossible. And now, after Adrian warned me what would happen if I tried again, if Mika gave Adrian a reason to suspect me, it would be bad. "I don't know when we'll be vacationing next. Let Nathaniel know I'll try to make it soon."

Mika frowned. "Okay." He wanted to say more: I could see it in the set of his shoulders. Instead he flickered and vanished.

I hunched over, pressing my palms into my eyes and snarled. Now was not the time for Mika to start asking questions like that. Why couldn't he have waited until . . . I didn't know when, but not now. I'd deal with it later, after whatever would happen today. I pushed myself to my feet and went to get dressed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Nathaniel had stayed close this morning. He didn't ask what was wrong. A lot of things went unsaid between us.

"You look nice," Nathaniel said. He was trying, but worry strained his smile and voice. "Oh, wait, the pin." He pointed to my collar before vanishing upstairs.

"Right," I muttered, tugging at the too tight collar of my dress uniform. As a member of security for this meeting, I was expected to look presentable. Which meant a stiff shirt tucked into pressed pants, accompanied by leather gloves. The entire outfit was black, like all Elpedite uniforms. Luckily, my lack of rank meant I didn't have to worry about any pins and medals. Except for the collar pin, which was a standard for all uniforms, regardless of rank.

Nathaniel returned with a silver chain in one hand. "Lean down," he said. He clipped it to my shirt collar, a silver chain hanging between the tips of my collar with an extra three inches hanging off the left side and ending with an arrowhead.

"Thanks." I gave him a quick hug, having too much nervous energy for a lingering one. Nathaniel and I were reflecting our stress off of each other, so the sooner I left, the sooner I broke the loop.

As I closed the door behind me I gave him one last weak smile. He returned it, then the door slid shut, cutting him off from me.

I stepped out of the elevator and into a stream of soldiers and other officials. They parted around me, only flashing me brief looks of surprise before speeding past me and off to their destination. A man wearing a visitor's pass walked up the hall toward me, a camera drone buzzing behind him. The man's gaze flicked toward me for a second before his eyes lit with recognition. He looked away, but I saw the recording light of his drone flicker on.

Before I could do anything, Superior Aashi, my knife fighting instructor, materialized at his side, snatching the drone from the air. "Come with me," she snapped, seizing him by the arm. With the other hand she removed the battery from the drone with two quick flicks of her wrist. She slipped the battery into her pocket as she dragged the stuttering man away.

As they passed me, Aashi flashed me an angry look. I wasn't entirely sure it was actually meant for me, or if she was just irritated with the media. Then they were gone.

I pushed open the door to Adrian's office. "You've let too many eyes in. Why?"

Adrian raised a hand to silence me. In front of him on his desk were an abundance of screens. Three were full of text and four had security footage or news playing. He made a few quick edits to one of the text screens before sending it off and closing it. He turned to face me. "Yes, I saw that. Nothing that can't be fixed."

He tugged at the cuffs of his formal suit as he scanned me. "You put the pin on wrong." He gestured me over and I complied. I raised my chin as he reclipped the chain, letting the extra length down on the right side, not the left.

"You still haven't told me what to do about Raiten," I said, glaring as he stepped back.

"We'll discuss that soon. Your gun is loaded?"

"Of course," I said, waving a hand at the pistol on my hip.

Adrian sighed. "Would you calm down?"

"No," I snapped. "You're keeping something from me, and I know there's a reason for it, so would you just get on with this?"

Adrian checked the clock on his desk, drummed his fingers on the wood for a moment. "All right," he said. "Sit down."

When I'd taken a seat Adrian leaned back against his desk. "You will kill Raiten today," he said, giving me a hard look, "the instant after he has shot the Rane of Synia."

It took a moment. I wasn't sure I'd heard him right, or that I'd understood correctly. But I had. He wanted me to let Raiten's plan go through. At least as far as killing the Rane. I recoiled. "Why? You're trying to keep them fighting on our side of the war aren't you? This is the opposite of what you want!"

"Think about it."

There was no way this worked to his advantage. If the Rane died, then the title would fall to her wife, and she would be furious. A member of the Elpedite killing the Rane would be disastrous for all sides. If anything, Synia would declare war on us. "Her wife will blame _us_!" I hissed.

"She would," he said, "but I've already gathered the evidence of Raiten's background. After she's dead, that will be discovered during the 'investigation,' and Raiten will indisputably be identified as a Yetz terrorist. Since Raiten's position in the meeting was also cleared by the Synia, we are not solely responsible. The only ones who can truly be the scapegoat will be . . ."

"The Yetz," I sighed. I ran both my hands through my hair ruffling it up in black spikes. "Okay. But why does she have to die? I can wait until Raiten pulls his gun. I'm fast enough to shoot him first, but it'll still be obvious what he was trying to do."

Adrian shrugged. "If Raiten is too slow, then go ahead. But only if it takes longer than a second for him to draw and shoot. Or maybe one of the other security team members will get him. But, if he's as quick as he should be, no one will question your actions being too late. Besides, I want a little unrest in the Synian political system. It will open up some positions within the power pyramid for my people."

I couldn't find anything to say. Adrian waited for a moment before shrugging. "We have a little time left," he said, red light flickering in his eyes as he consulted his System. "Be ready by then." He returned to his desk.

I didn't really care about Raiten, or the Rane, or my country. Raiten was someone willing to use me, knowing I was human. The Rane was like Adrian, the leader of a war hungry country, and although she was trying to withdraw from the war now, that didn't grant her much goodwill from me. And Elpedite was a mess of arrogant, bloodthirsty soldiers. But looking at all of this together, this would guarantee an escalation in a terrible war between three of the most powerful countries in the world.

Over the past twenty years, Elpedite had expanded explosively. Adrian had already annihilated two smaller countries whose people were dead or dragged off to some dark corner of Elpedite. Yetz would share the same end. And then Adrian would move onto Synia, which would be far too easy with his people working from within.

I considered what I could do, if I decided to disobey Adrian to stop this. Then I understood why he'd waited until now to give his directions. We had only minutes before the meeting, and I wouldn't see Raiten beforehand. The opportunities I had to kill him before the meeting had passed. And I would have to shoot him during the meeting, because Raiten wasn't fast enough to kill Adrian. So even if I didn't move to stop Raiten, Adrian would, and he'd be furious.

Leaning back in my chair, I smoothed my hair back into place before Adrian could mention it. There was only one thing I could do, and that was follow Adrian's instructions. So I waited.

It felt like an instant later that Adrian stood. "Let's go."

Before I registered his words, I was following him. The two other members of the security team waited outside the office, silently falling in behind us. The meeting was being held in the center of facility, near Adrian's office, so the journey there took only a few minutes.

Raiten and another representative joined us just before we reached the door to the meeting room. Raiten met my gaze, but his stare remained impassive, and so did mine. I didn't like Raiten, but he was expecting me to back him up, and the knowledge I was going to kill him instead sent a chill over me. Then a security member held open the door and we entered.

The room was about what I expected. A thick wood table stretched across the center, but there was plenty of space around it. The left wall was a darkened screen, and several smaller ones ran the center of the table. There was another door at the other end, but no windows.

The two other members of security waited on either side of the door as I followed Adrian to the center of the room. Waiting for us was the Rane of Synia. I hung back a few feet as he approached.

She greeted Adrian with a polite smile and a firm handshake. She wore a suit and stood several inches taller than Adrian, with a cascade of black braids falling down her back. Her smile didn't quite reach her green eyes when she smiled at Adrian, and although I didn't like her, I thawed to her just a bit knowing she didn't like him. A tattoo, glowing a soft white, curled across her forehead and wrists, shining bright against her dark skin.

Next to her stood another woman: her wife, I assumed. Her face was round, but her eyes were cold, nearly black and when she shook Adrian's hand she flashed him a grimace instead of a smile.

Why were they even here? The Rane obviously knew Adrian was a manipulative psychopath, so why risk getting near him? She'd likely already decided to withdraw from the war. The meeting was just a formality to cut ties. It all made sense, but I still couldn't forgive her for showing up. There was something about her decision to make a poor choice, regardless of circumstance, that I couldn't let go.

As I watched Adrian greet the women, I kept Raiten in the corner of my vision. Every twitch of his hand or shift of his weight made my heart beat a little faster. My hands felt like ice.

He would have to move before the groups sat at the table. After that any grab he made for his gun would be obvious and slow. He kept glancing my way.

"This is the military representative I mentioned, Director Raiten." Adrian waved Raiten closer. Raiten began introductions with a smile, going through the same dance Adrian had. My heartrate wasn't an issue; no one would notice it. But I had to use The System to keep breathing at a regular pace, and my thoughts grew cloudy.

Adrian gestured to the table, taking a step.

It was about to happen.

Raiten hung back a few moments as the Rane, her wife, and Adrian turned their backs to him. His gaze met mine for a moment. When he confirmed I was watching him, he faced the Rane. I didn't move.

He reached for his gun, pulled it from the holster. I was really going to let this happen.

He aimed, finger already pulling back the trigger, the other members of security flinched as they began processing.

As fast as thought, I whipped my gun from my holster, aimed at Raiten's temple. There was a fraction of a second where he saw me from the corner of his eye. He didn't have time to be surprised. Twin gunshots broke across the room.

Raiten's knees buckled the same instant the Rane crumpled to the floor. Blood spattered across the desk, the carpet, the Rane's wife. I realized I hadn't learned her name.

"Out!" a member of security yelled as she threw open the door. I seized Adrian by the arm, gripping it harder than necessary and hoping it hurt as I dragged him out the door. One of the Rane's security members did the same with her wife while two other's fell to the Rane's side.

Moments later Adrian had vanished and the place was swarming with security from both countries.

"Alice," I turned to see Superior Aashi. She was as calm as ever, like this hadn't been a surprise. "Come with me." Aashi lead me through the crowd and into a different meeting room down the hall. "Wait here," she said holding the door open for me. As soon as I'd entered, she shut the door and I heard a lock click into place. I picked a chair, sat, and waited.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I spent the rest of the day in that room. It took several hours before the cacophony outside the door quieted. After I'd shaken off the last of my shock, I thought to turn on the screen to watch the news.

I'd expected confused speculation. Maybe baffled reporters that wouldn't know the Rane was dead yet. But it was everywhere. Each channel reporting she was dead, that Director Raiten had killed her, that a group of his Yetz accomplices had been killed during their arrest, that I had shot the traitor, saving Adrian and the Rane's wife, Kihana.

The Synian reports were about the same, although they seemed to be sticking to the facts of what happened and avoiding any opinions for now. Back on the Elpedite channels, debates had flared up on the Yetz problem. I let the news wash over me, occasionally changing the channel, but only absorbing half the information.

Finally, the office door opened and Adrian entered. I stood as he approached, a grin on his face. He clapped a hand onto my shoulder. "Well done."

I wasn't sure what to say. Watching Adrian's plan gain momentum had numbed me. "What happens now?" I asked.

"You get a vacation. You've earned it, and I want you away from the facility while this settles down. The prominent opinion is that your actions are a perfect example of your programs success, but some are disputing it, of course. It'll be easier to sway the people's opinion of you while you aren't here."

"What about the Kihana? If she blames you, your plan gets derailed."

Adrian waved a hand as if brushing away a fly. "She's grieving and angry, of course, and she'll be mad at me, but she'll hold the Yetz responsible, and making an alliance with me will be the most effective was for her to get revenge." He turned me towards the door. "Now let's get you out of the way."

I pulled from his grip and faced him. "When I asked you what you wanted from this, you told me to ask a different question. What was the question I should have asked?"

He considered me. "You asked what I wanted. That was too vague. What you should have asked was: what can I gain, and what will I do to get it? You need to think from other's perspectives if you want to have the advantage. Now come on."

Adrian turned away and exited the room. I followed.

**Present:**

It had been at least four hours since I'd started my watch from the inn's roof, and it was still snowing. The only movement I'd seen was a fox scamper between two houses before vanishing into the forest. I hadn't seen any people step outside since the search party returned.

I pulled my coat closer and shook the snow from my hair. The System was keeping me warm, but it couldn't much longer unless I started moving. I stopped breathing. The snowflakes drifted past me, swallowing sound, but I'd heard something.

Leaning out over the edge of the roof, I scanned the town. In the street that ran through the houses, by the inn and into the woods, was a small figure. A child, approaching the inn with an odd, stumbling walk. After another heartbeat, another tiny figure wandered onto the street, then another.

I swung myself off the roof and onto the windowsill of Sakura's room. I wrenched open the window and jumped in, landing without a sound. "Sakura," I said, keeping my voice just above a whisper.

Mokona appeared from behind Sakura. "Did Alice spot someone?"

"Yes. Wake Sakura up." I knelt next to my bed. I'd hidden my sword here after our first day, thinking I wouldn't need it and wanting to present a peaceful image. But the time for waiting was over.

Standing, I slid the sheath into my belt as Sakura sat up. She blinked at me for a second, confusion clouding her eyes before she leapt to her feet. "The children?"

I nodded, returning to the window. "Get the others up and into the street as quick as possible. I'm going to follow them."

Sakura nodded, rushing out the door with Mokona on her shoulder. I noticed she'd slept with her shoes on. Smart. I swung myself out the window, falling into a roll as I landed. The children had wandered past the inn, and I ran to catch up to the nearest.

"Hey," I hissed, catching the girl by her shoulder and spinning her around. She only had a thin nightgown on and stood barefoot in ankle deep snow. "What are you—" The girl's face was blank. No surprise, fear, or confusion. She gazed at me for a second with glassy eyes before trying to turn away.

I gripped her by both shoulders, and shook her hard enough to rock her head back. "Wake up!" Once I'd steadied her, I found the same empty gaze. I grimaced, took her by the arm, and dragged her to the nearest home. I tried the door, but it was locked.

The kids were getting too far away. I didn't have time for this. I slammed my fist against the door three times, deciding I'd wait ten seconds before giving up and running after the other kids. The girl kept trying to take a step, like she'd forgotten I was holding her.

A thud from inside, and heavy set of footsteps ran through the house before the door was wrenched open. I'd intended to shove the girl into the arms of whoever answered before running off, but when the man answered the door, I hesitated.

"James," I said.

James, rifle in hand, glanced from me to the girl. He swung his rifle up, but before he could aim I sidestepped, released the girl, and punched him in the face before tearing the gun from his hands.

I spun the weapon and aimed it back at him. "James, I don't have time to be nice. If you want to find the kids, we need to follow them." I stepped aside to show him the kids disappearing into the woods. For a second, I thought I saw a taller figure near the front, but when I blinked it was gone. When James saw the kids some of the anger in his gaze was replaced by concerned.

"What's going on?" he asked. I lowered the gun, pushing the girl into his house.

"I don't know what's wrong with them," I said, "But I think they're all like this." James glanced at the girl, frowning when he saw her glassy gaze. I stepped back outside, offering him his rifle. "Are you coming?"

"Yes," he said, accepting the rifle before disappearing inside. He returned with a jacket, his boots on, and a chair. He closed the door, flashing the girl inside an apologetic look before jamming the chair under the knob. We ran after the kids.

"Tell me what happened," he said as we left town.

"Don't know. I was on watch and I saw them wandering away. I found her like that and couldn't wake her up."

"Why should I trust you?"

"We've had this discussion," I said, shooting him a glare. "And I gave you back your rifle didn't I?"

"After you punched me!"

"All you have to do is follow the kids with me until we find the others. You don't have to trust me."

He was quiet after that as we approached the nearest kid. We caught up to him and James tried to grab his shoulder.

"Wait," I said. "We have to follow them now. If we don't, we might never find the others." James grimaced, but let his hand fall.

A thundering beat rose behind us, suddenly very close out of the silence of the snow. I turned to see four horses and riders running to meet us. James raised his rifle, but I waved him down. "It's my companions."

The others slowed next to us, my horse saddled and following the others. "Hello Alice-san," Fai said. "Would you like a ride?"

"Alice?" James asked, glancing at me.

"Nice work," Kurogane said, dripping sarcasm and glowering at Fai. Fai gave him a grin and a shrug. Kurogane turned his glare on James. "What's he doing here."

"Doesn't matter now," I said. "Is this the road to the castle?"

"It is," Syaoran said, his gaze tracing the path of the children.

I pulled myself onto my horse. "I'm going to the front of the line. At least one person should stay back here." I flicked the reins and my horse took off. I angled the beast to the edge of the path, keeping away from any children in our way. As I passed them I counted until I found the ninth, and last child.

I pulled my horse back to a slower pace, walking several feet behind the kid and keeping pace with her. Minutes later Syaoran and Sakura joined me. "How far until the castle?" I asked.

Syaoran glanced ahead, then down at the book Sakura held up for him. "We're getting close. It should only be a few minutes now."

"What about the river?" Sakura asked. "I'm worried the children will walk right in."

"Good point," I said. "We shouldn't disturb them if we don't have to, but if they try to go in the river, we'll pull them back."

"Right," Sakura said.

I looked ahead and above the tree line a dark shape took form in the snowy haze. A crumbling building of stone, a shade of gray just darker than the sky, with collapsing spires reach up into the falling snow. As we approached I dismounted to walk beside the girl.

"I think you were right," Syaoran said, his brow furrowed.

"About what?" I asked.

"Before we left, I saw that Kyle-san's door was open. The papers you told me about were the missing pages from history book." Syaoran frowned. "Those pages mentioned a way to divert the river, and we should be able to hear it by now."

We cleared the last patch of trees between us as the castle, and found a river, flat and glassy before the castle. I ran ahead as Syaoran and Sakura dismounted. Just before the river was a sheet of snow with a single track of footprints leading to the bank.

I turned back to the others. "Someone is already inside." Syaoran nodded, guiding his horse to a tree as Sakura followed the child closely.

Trusting Sakura to watch her, I walked to the edge of the river. I blinked. There was a path of stone, just beneath the water's surface. I stepped into the river, the water just high enough to soak my shoes. It was safe to cross.

"Let her cross," I told Sakura. Sakura was watching me with wide eyes, but nodded, following the girl into the river.

When we'd gotten halfway across, a snap broke the air, faraway and low.

"What was that?" Sakura asked. I shook my head, trying to listen. The snowfall was even heavier now, trapping sound and making the world eerily quiet. And then I heard the rumble, too close from upstream.

"Look out!" Syaoran shouted, sprinting toward us.

A wall of water flooded around the bend of the river, crashing toward us. I grabbed the girl's arm in one hand, Sakura's in the other, and ran. Sakura found her feet and sprinted with me to the castle's bank, and we reached it with only a heartbeat to spare. I spun to see Syaoran skidding to a stop at the opposite bank his eyes locked on Sakura before he scrambled back. A wall of water roared into the space between us, filling the river with a churning torrent.

That hadn't been an accident. Someone must have used the device that controlled the river's flow, either trying to cut us off or kill us.

Syaoran cupped his hands around his mouth, "I'll try to find the switch on this side!"

Before I could reply, the second child appeared behind Syaoran, stepping around him and toward the river. I took in a breath to yell, but Syaoran had already grabbed the boy, pulling him away from the water.

Syaoran wouldn't be able to leave the bank. He'd have to wait for the others to catch up while he kept the kids from drowning. Syaoran was already pulling the boy towards our horses, probably to tie him to a tree.

I looked for the girl we'd been following to see she was already walking passed the castle gates and into the courtyard.

"We have to go!" I yelled to Syaoran, turning to the castle. Syaoran grimaced, but nodded.

"Stay close to me," I told Sakura as I drew my sword. Whoever beat us here was also responsible for kidnapping the kids, and for nearly killing us in the river. If they were waiting to ambush us, I'd be ready.

"Okay," Sakura said, falling in step just behind me. We jogged to reach the girl, our footfalls echoing off stone. The girl led us through a broken wall in the courtyard and into a dim stone hallway. Frost laced the walls, and ice cracked beneath our feet. The girl stared straight ahead, not even glancing at the darkened rooms and other halls we passed. When she turned a corner, it was an abrupt jerking motion. She didn't hesitate; she seemed to know exactly where she was going.

I gritted my teeth the entire way. We had to keep up with the girl, but that meant passing open doors unchecked, leaving the rooms' contents, or occupants, unknown. All of my training and instincts were screaming at me to slow down, to look and listen, but I had to settle for glancing back as often as I could, and dialing up my hearing until I could hear Sakura's breathing and heartbeat behind me. "Watch our back," I whispered, glancing to her. She nodded.

The girl turned one final corner and we exited the halls and entered an open room. I couldn't tell what the room had been for. The space was huge, made of the same stone work in the halls, but the floor was bare, not even debris to mark decayed furnishing. On the other side of the room, the wall had been bashed in, with a hole about two feet in diameter. The girl we'd followed walked straight for it.

I followed her, already suspecting, but letting her get all the way to gripping the edge of the hole before pulling her away.

"Why would she go here?" Sakura asked as I passed the girl to her. From inside the hole, I heard the clatter of stone and the scrape of movement.

I looked inside, and sucked in a breath. The tunnel through the wall opened up after a few feet into a cavern full of children. In the center, suspended in a column of what liked like glass or ice, glowed Sakura's feather. The children stumbled about it, lifting stones to smash against the crystal, breaking off slivers at a time. They all had the same glassy stare.

I turned to Sakura. "Look."

She frowned, but leaned forward. After a second, she gasped and stepped away, pulling the girl in her arms closer. I was about to turn back to the tunnel, but Sakura gasped again.

"You!" she said.

I spun, sword up, but found and empty room. "What are you talking about Sakura?" I asked, keeping my sword pointed at the empty chamber and stepping closer to her.

"The princess from last night." She pointed to the center of the room. "She's there."

I didn't know what to do. I couldn't see the danger, or hear it. Sword raised, I stood there, waiting for something.

"She says she didn't do this," Sakura said. "Why can't Alice-san see you?" Another moment of silence. "She's dead," Sakura breathed.

"How—" I stopped. There were footsteps approaching from the way we'd come. I grabbed Sakura's elbow, invisible woman forgotten, and pulled her towards the wall by doorway. I crouched next to it, keeping myself between the doorway and Sakura and the girl. Sakura must have picked up on what was happening because she crouched with me, holding the girl close.

The footsteps, a single set, stopped just outside the room. A heartbeat thundered just a few feet away. A sigh, then they were stepping into the room.

I was ready for anyone. If it was one our party, we'd stand and greet them. If it was anyone else, I wouldn't give them the benefit of the doubt.

Kyle rounded the corner. He had just enough time to register us in the corner of his vision, his head half turning, before I lunged, lashing out with a side kick and hitting him in the chest. His breath left him in a gasp, and he fell to the floor. A knife tumbled from his hand, skittering across the stone.

He sat up and I leveled my sword at him. "Don't move."

He blinked at me, his expression flickering through pain, surprise, anger, and settling on wide-eyed confusion. "Alec? What are you doing here?"

Compared to Adrian, he was a pathetic actor. When Adrian was pretending, I only knew once he'd dropped the act. Kyle's "confusion" was too clueless. He was a doctor and should be smart enough to know what was happening. That and his left hand was balled into a fist, an aggressive bit of body language for someone who should be more confused than angry.

"No more playing stupid, Kyle. I know you're responsible for this." There had only been one person ahead of us. They had crossed the river, waited for Sakura and I to get halfway across before switching the flow again. With the river impassible, the only other person in this castle should be the person responsible.

Kyle raised his hands in surrender. "You're mistaken! I swear I was trying to protect the children."

I plucked his knife from the ground without breaking eye contact. "Is that why you had this out?"

"You have a weapon yourself."

"Enough. The only other person in this castle has to be responsible. I _know_ it. Which means you're the culprit."

Kyle's mask, cracked, then crumbled. He sneered. "You don't have proof. No one in town will believe _you_."

"I don't care what the town thinks. I don't care if they think I'm the culprit. I believe you kidnapped my brother so I'm going to handle this myself. You're the only thing in my way, and if you don't give me what I want, I'm going to make you." I stood over him, letting the tip of my sword drift an inch away from his eye. "What did you do to the children?"

Kyle's eyes locked on the blade. He paled. "Hypnosis," he said, his voice thin.

"How do I fix it?"

"It wears off every night, unless I hypnotize them again."

"All right," I said. "Now where is my brother?"

Kyle shook his head. "I only took children from the town. He's not here."

I didn't have the patience for lies. The entire way here, watching the girl trudge through the snow barefoot, seeing the children with bruised and bloodied knuckles in that cavern, the purple skin around their toes as frostbite ate at them, I'd seen my brother in their places, and it left a twisting nausea in my stomach. I flicked my wrist, cutting a line across Kyle's cheek. Sakura hissed in a breath. "Wrong!" I said. "I know he's here. Where is he?"

Blood welled from the cut and dripped down Kyle's chin as his hand flew to his cheek. "He's not here!"

A crack echoed from the tunnel, wrenching our attention away from Kyle. A burst of light bloomed from the hole, flooding the room and leaving spots in my vision. There was a scramble of shoes against stone, and when I looked to Kyle he was already on his feet and running from the room.

"Stay here!" I yelled at Sakura, tearing one of my daggers from its sheath and throwing it at her feet before I ran after Kyle.

Kyle had a head start, and he knew this building, but I was faster. He tore around turns just as I entered the hall, but with my hearing I always knew where he'd gone.

Kyle disappeared around the corner just before Syaoran and James emerged from a doorway he'd passed.

"Alice?" Syaoran said. "Was that Kyle?"

I barely slowed, slipping by Syaoran and pointing back the way I came. "Sakura's that way. Find her." Then I was sprinting again. If Kyle managed to double back to that room, James and Syaoran could keep the kids safe. I'd given Sakura my knife, but I didn't know if she had training, or if it would make a difference.

Kyle had gained some distance, but soon I had him in view again. I plucked my remaining knife from my belt, aimed, and threw, The System guiding my hand. I was careful, cutting deep enough to hurt but not to hit an artery. I didn't want him to die until I knew where Nathaniel was. The knife slashed open the back of his leg before clattering to the floor. He crumpled with a yell and I was on him.

Gripping a fistful of his jacket, I wrenched Kyle onto his back and pressed my sword against his throat. "Where is he?" I snarled.

Kyle glared at me, hate and fear clouding his eyes. He didn't say anything, his breath heaving and his heartbeat thundering. I stiffened, about to slash him across the face again, when he spoke.

He spat something out, the words rushed and jumbled. I should've been able to understand them, even if they were cluttered, but I couldn't. They were like a knife trying to gain purchase on glass; they kept skidding off.

Kyle grinned, spoke again, and the world tilted. I stumbled away, trying to find my balance. The System, sensing my disorientation, forced my legs under me and pulled my spine straight. Even so, the room kept spinning around me. I distantly registered Kyle jumping to hit feet before pain burst across my face. I stumbled into the nearest wall, darkness crawling at the corners of my vision as Kyle's footfalls faded away.

Seconds later, I gasped as everything snapped back into place. My left eye throbbed and I registered Kyle had punched me. Kyle was gone. I listened, but the stone halls were silent and they all looked the same. I had no idea where he'd gone.

What had he done? What happened to me? I pressed my back against the wall until my head stopped pounding.

The only thing to do was go back to Sakura and the kids, so I shook off my confusion, picked up my knife, and started walking.

Had that been magic? Or hypnosis? I didn't think hypnosis could do something like that. Magic seemed like a better reason, considering it seemed to be the explanation for everything confusing in the past days.

When I reached the room, I found the rest of the group waiting. Fai and Kurogane stood by the tunnel in the wall, Fai peering inside. Most of the kids were gathered in the center of the room, staring into the distance. Sakura held a shard of crystal and stood facing the door, speaking to Syaoran, who stood next to James. Some of the kids had woken up, and had latched onto the nearest familiar thing: him. Suspended inside the crystal Sakura held glowed one of her feathers. Sakura was the first to see me and ran to my side. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I'm fine," I said. "But he got away."

Kurogane raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"I don't know," I said, walking past him. "He said something, I don't know what. It disoriented me and he ran off."

Fai frowned. "You can't remember?"

That was odd. I didn't remember, but I hadn't worded it that way. But I didn't linger on it. I needed to find Nathaniel. I shook my head and continued, heading for Mokona, who was on Syaoran's shoulder. "Mokona," I said as I approached. The creature perked up, along with Syaoran and James. James kept shooting Mokona wary glances, but spent most of his attention on the kids clutching at his arms.

"Did Alice-san catch Kyle?" Mokona asked.

"No," I sighed. "Mokona, is my brother here?"

Mokona beamed. "Nathaniel should be right here."

I frowned but started looking the children over again. I skimmed over them, looking for a head of black hair and clothes from my world. Nothing. But The System flashed an alert in my vision. It was a match on Nathaniel's features. I followed the blue lines in my vision and caught a flash of blue eyes and black hair.

I crossed the space in three strides. "Nathaniel—" I froze in front of him, my hand hovering an inch from his shoulder as he blinked up at me with glassy blue eyes. Eyes. He had both. I lowered my hand, seeing the other things that weren't quite right. He was too young, my Nathaniel was twelve, but this boy was eight at the most. It was him, though. He looked just like Nathaniel had at that age.

He was this world's Nathaniel. Like the men Syaoran had seen in the Hanshin Republic.

He shivered, the glassy look suddenly gone. He stumbled back, his foot buckling under him. I lunged to catch him, steadying him before letting go. I was a stranger to him, and the knowledge made him hard to touch. I didn't want to scare him.

"Who are you? Where am I?" he asked, his voice threatening to break. I knelt to his level, putting a hand on his shoulder to try to comfort him.

"It's okay," I said, my voice hoarse. "You're safe now. I'm going to take you home." I took off my overcoat, draping it around his shoulders. He nodded, lip wobbling as tears rand down his cheeks. I stood and offered him my hand. I wanted to pick him up, to hug him and promise I'd keep him safe. But this wasn't my Nathaniel.

But he took my hand and held it tight. "I'm Alice," I said. "What's your name?"

"Nathaniel."

"It's nice to meet you. Let's get you home now, okay?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Once most of the children had woken and James explained what had happened to them, we led everyone out of the castle. I didn't let go of Nathaniel's hand.

Everyone had taken off their coats to give to the children, several of them suffering from frostbite. I gave my gloves to Nathaniel. The tips of his fingers were purple. The nine children who were still hypnotized were assigned to an adult. Kurogane, Fai, Syaoran, and James each had a child in their arms or by the hand. Sakura held the hands of two girls and I held the hand of another boy besides Nathaniel. Two of the older children who'd woken up agreed to guide the two remaining dazed kids.

Once we'd crossed the lowered river and transferred as many children as possible onto our horses to spare their feet from the snow, we were able to exchange information.

I hoisted Nathaniel onto my back as James approached. "That's not your brother." His tone wasn't accusing, just confused.

"No," I said, "but he looks a lot like him."

James frowned. "So your brother isn't here."

"No." The word felt like a mouthful of ice. He was silent after that.

"Syaoran," I said. He looked up, the hand of a child in his and the lead of a horse in the other. "What happened? How did you cross the river?"

"Kurogane ran up river with Fai to find the switch while James and I watched the kids. This book gave us an idea where it was."

"So," James said, his voice heavy, "it was Dr. Kyle? I don't believe that."

"I think when we search his office, you'll change your mind." Syaoran said.

"Why's that?"

"On our way to follow Alice-san, I saw Kyle-san's door was open, but he wasn't there. Earlier Alice-san told us about some strange papers in his office." He tucked the horse's lead under his arm and pulled a couple of sheets of paper from his coat. "These are the papers she mentioned. They're the missing pages from this book. I didn't have time to look closely, but the other papers she found seemed suspicious. We should look at them when we get back."

"Fine," James said, all heat gone from his tone. "I'm just glad the children are okay." He shifted, getting a better grip around the sleeping girl on his back. All the children were exhausted. The ones who had a ride had fallen asleep as soon as their feet left the ground.

When we got close to town, James ran ahead to tell everyone what had happened in the hope to avoid a violent welcome. We stopped near the inn, and people were already pouring from their houses. Most of them ran to meet us while others ran to the homes of the uninformed. In moments the entire town surrounded us. The others set down the children they carried and lifted the rest from the horses, all were immediately scooped up by sobbing family members.

Rebecca ran through the crowd straight to Amelia, pulling her into her arms and burying her face in the child's hair. The girl clung to her mother, her knuckles white.

"Hey," I said, giving the boy on my back a gentle shake.

"Huh," he muttered, inhaling as he woke up.

"Where's your family?"

He took a moment to look around before pointing to my left. When I found the family he pointed to, my feet froze to the ground.

The first face I saw was my mother's. Her hair longer than I'd ever seen it, and she was younger, but it was her. By her side stood my father, his glasses round instead of square, his hair pulled back into a low ponytail. And between them—

A girl with long black hair and blue eyes. She was younger than me, missing the scar on my left cheek, but it was my face. Her face was crumpled with worry and hope, her eyes racing over the children, but somehow her features still seemed softer than mine. Then her gaze found mine. Confusion flashed in her eyes before I looked away.

I inhaled, realizing I'd stopped breathing. I set down Nathaniel, and he turned to give me a final look. "Thank you."

Then he ran to my—his parents and sister, his father pulling him into a hug and choking back sobs. His mother and sister were there in an instant, joining the embrace and hiding him from view.

His mother only embraced him with one arm, because in the other was a small bundle. Blonde wisps floating above the baby's head. I only caught a glimpse of the baby before Nathaniel's mother turned to hold him tighter and hid the baby in the family's group hug. They were all crying, but they were all there, together.

I'd turned away and taken three steps before I'd processed I needed to leave.

I pushed through the crowd and towards the inn. It was the only place I could think to go. But instead of going inside I went to the back of the building, putting it between me and the town, and collapsed against the wall, sliding down to the snow.

I tried pushing the thought away, but it kept flying back. If that was my family, echoed in this world, with my parents and their children . . . I was supposed to have another sibling.

Nathaniel and I _should_ have a little brother or sister.

Adrian had taken something I'd never had. Someone I'd never get to know.

And Nathaniel was still lost. After all of this, and he could still be in danger and I was still no closer to finding him.

I let it all wash over me, let it hurt, and then watched the snow fall.

After what felt like hours, but couldn't have been because it was still night, someone stepped around the corner. I looked up to see James.

"Alice?" he said, trying the name.

"Yeah," I said.

"Mr. Velafied wanted me to return this, and give his thanks." He held out my overcoat and gloves.

Even the family name was the same. I took the clothes and tucked them under my arm.

"You . . ." James started, tried again, "There something more going on with you and that family, isn't there? You look like their daughter, E—"

"Don't say that please. I can't explain it. But yes." I couldn't hear my old name right now. It was too much of a reminder of who I might be.

He was quiet for a minute. "I'm sorry your brother wasn't here. What will you do now?"

I shrugged. "We'll leave tomorrow, and I'll start over again." I stood, ready to return to the others.

"Here," James held out his rifle. I frowned at it, then him.

"You helped bring my niece home. And I have another rifle at home. Take it."

I did, reflexively checking the chamber and barrel. The System logged its dimensions. It was a rough version of the rifles from my world, but it was a gun and had bullets, so I'd take it. "Thank you." I slung it onto my back.

We walked back to the front of the inn together. "This is a strange question, but Nathaniel's family . . . what's the name of their baby?"

James raised an eyebrow, but seemed resigned to my strange behavior. "Aila."

"A girl then?"

He nodded. I memorized the name.

"Thanks," I said, gripping the door to the inn.

"Alice," James said. I looked back to see him give me a flash of a smile, but it was a heavy one. "I hope you find him. You and your brother welcome at my house, if you're ever back here."

I nodded, regarding him for a final time before I shut the door.

In the living room, everyone else sat waiting for me.

"About time," Kurogane said, leaning against the mantle. "Where did you get that?"

Fai elbowed him. "That's rude, Kuro-pin."

"James gave it to me," I said, choosing to ignore the first part. I faced Syaoran, who sat on the couch by Sakura. "Did you and James go through Kyle's papers?"

"Yes. We went through his desk with the mayor and Mr. Grosum. After comparing Kyle's medical records to the names of the missing children, it was fairly obvious it was him."

At least that had gone smoothly then. I wouldn't have any patience to deal with a speculative Mr. Grosum or the mayor.

Sakura gave me a sheepish look. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand what happened. Was that your brother?"

I shook my head, trying to find the words to explain. I'd thought I was composed enough to return, and while I kept my expression under control, I couldn't voice what had happened.

Fai sat down on the couch across from her. "Different versions of people exist in different worlds. When we were in the Hanshin Republic, Syaoran-kun saw a man that looked like the king of your country, your brother. These people look the same, and have similar personalities, but they're different people. I think Alice-san found this world's version of her brother." Fai looked to me for confirmation. I nodded.

"Mokona is sorry," Mokoa said, his ears drooping. "Mokona found the wrong Nathaniel."

"It's fine," I said. "Will you be able to tell the difference next time?"

"Mhm," Mokona's ears perked back up. "This Nathaniel felt strange. Still like Nathaniel, but Mokona will know next time."

Fai tilted his head. "And the rest of us have a better idea of what your brother looks like now. That will make finding him a bit easier."

"Right." The knowledge lifted some of the weight in my chest. Not much, but it was something.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

That night, we decided to leave in the morning before the town woke to hopefully avoid any confusion. Once we'd decided on our plan, Sakura clutched the crystal to her chest and the feather vanished into her. She fell asleep immediately and when Syaoran took her to bed upstairs. Everyone else decided to turn in as well. We would only have a few hours of sleep if we wanted to leave before morning.

I leaned my rifle against the bed before dropping into bed. I lay awake for a long time, thinking about the boy who wasn't Nathaniel, the parents that weren't mine, the girl who wasn't me, and the sister Nathaniel and I would never have.

It was okay, I told myself. I would find him.

I took a long, slow breath before letting it go and finally falling asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait! I had a little trouble writing this chapter, but I think I'm happy with it now. Hope you enjoy, and please leave a review of any thoughts or feedback you might have. It'd make my day. Thank you!

**Two Years Ago:**

Nathaniel flew passed me, his skates hissing across the ice. He twisted to face me. "See?"

"I didn't doubt that you'd improve," I said, keeping my footing with The System's help.

We were at our vacation house in the forest, far away from any Elpedite city. Far away from Adrian. Our house was the only building for miles in a pine forest, and I'd never seen another person here. But there were plenty of grizzly bears, moose, and deer. I always though coming here would make me feel better, and it did, but the relief would fade in a few days. It always did.

One of the four drones buzzing above us chirped and flashed a red light directly below it.

"Did you see that?" I asked.

"Yep." He swooped into a U-turn and glided away from the thin ice.

The four drones also projected Mika and Ruetile's images. All three kids orbited me as they skated across the lake. Since Mika and Ruetile were just projections, only Nathaniel's skates hissed on the surface.

I wore skates too, just to stay near Nathaniel. The System was able to help me get around, but my movements always looked stiff next to my brother's.

Adrian had sent us away three days ago, after the Rane's assassination. I hadn't heard anything from him since then and I was fine with that. The assassination still bothered me, but at least it was over.

I blinked out of my thoughts as the shadow of the forest fell over me. The sun had fallen beneath the horizon.

"Hey," I yelled to Nathaniel, who'd nearly skated across the lake, "we're heading back."

He twirled and gave me an exaggerated wave. "Okay."

A few minutes later we returned to shore, changed out of our skates and started up the hill, the drones following. "Can we go back out tomorrow?" Nathaniel asked.

"Sure. Do you still want to hike to the waterfall?"

Nathaniel rolled his eyes. "Of course."

"Can we come, please?" Ruetile asked.

"I'm not sure the drones can go that far," I said.

Nathaniel pulled a piece of pink plastic from his pocket. "But the earpieces can."

Ruetile crossed her arms. "But then Mika and I can't walk around."

Mika shrugged. "The earpieces have cameras and mics, so we'll be able to see and hear. That's the important part. It's not like we can _actually_ walk around anyway."

Ruetile pushed a blonde curl out of her face with a huff. "Fine. I guess you're right."

"Unlock," I said as we arrived at the house. The door clicked open and we stepped inside. This house was much bigger than the rooms at the Facility. The entire north and south walls were giant windows, giving us a view of the surrounding forest.

One night a grizzly bear and her cubs had relaxed just outside the window. Nathaniel had dragged me to the couch to watch the cubs bother their sleeping mother. He'd been fixated on them, laughing when one of the cubs tumbled off its mother onto its sibling. By the time they left, Nathaniel had drifted off to sleep against my shoulder.

The drones flew inside and into their docks by the door. Mika and Ruetile's images flickered as the projectors in the house took over managing their forms. Nathaniel and I hung our skates and jackets by the door while Ruetile stepped further into the house. "I'm going to bed."

"Okay," Nathaniel said. "Goodnight." But her form had already flickered and vanished. Mika frowned at the space she'd been, but wiped away the expression a second later. Ruetile never handled reminders that she wasn't alive well. But those reminders were few and far between, and there wasn't anything I could do for her. Mika had talked to her about it, and she seemed to be doing better, but there were still moments like this.

I'd mentioned getting her reprogrammed to Nathaniel, but he'd rejected the idea immediately. He'd said messing with Ruetile's programming would be like lobotomizing someone for feeling sad. I'd let it go.

Nathaniel headed for the stairs. "I'm gonna work on my math homework."

"Good luck," I said, on my way to the kitchen. I poured a cup of coffee and settled on the couch to watch the forest. It was almost full night now. The sky was bleeding from purple to black, reducing the pine trees to silhouettes against the stars.

Mika appeared next to me. I looked up to ask him what he needed, but stopped. He had a blank look on his face, and his image flickered several times before solidifying. "Sorry," he said, giving me a sheepish smile.

I set down my mug. "What was that?"

"I um . . . let me be sure." He was silent for a second, but this time his form stayed solid. He nodded. "Okay." It was rare to see Mika nervous. With the Rane's assassination and our vacation, I'd nearly forgotten the strange conversation Mika and I had shared back at the Facility. The one where he'd carefully _not_ asked me when I was going to escape.

"When are you going to escape?" he asked.

"Shut up," I snapped. What had happened to him being smart? He knew talking about this could get him deleted and Nathaniel hurt.

"Relax," he raised a hand, "I shut down the cameras and mics in the room. And as far as my monitor program can tell, we're talking about the view."

I blinked. "How?"

Mika frowned at his feet. "Nathaniel is getting very good with computers and programming. I am too, as a result."

I didn't know what to say. Nathaniel hadn't mentioned an interest in computers. How could he mess with Mika's code? Why?

Mika continued. "Nathaniel removed my age cap a while ago, along with my learning cap."

The age cap was a part of any human-based AI. It kept them acting their age. The learning cap was to keep them from learning everything, or certain things, from the net.

"When? Is Ruetile . . ." I managed.

"Two months ago. And, no, Ruetile's program hasn't been altered."

" _Shit._ " I sprung from the couch, pacing through the room and pushing back my hair. "Has he done anything else?"

"He removed the censors on all the news sources." I halted and pressed my palms into my eyes. All the things I didn't want him to see, and he'd had full access for two months. He'd probably seen the coverage of the assassination. And that wasn't the worst part. I could protect Nathaniel as long as I behaved. But if it was Nathaniel threatening Adrian's control, I wasn't the gate-keeper between them anymore.

"You see why you need to go?" Mika asked. "Nathaniel's going to get into trouble."

"Why didn't you tell me?" It was a struggle to keep my voice low.

"There's too much security in the Facility. Here I can mess with the monitoring systems, but there, I can't touch them."

"Why hasn't he told me?"

"He knows how stressed you are. He wants to take some of the weight. And he can't stay in the Facility much longer; the place is driving him crazy."

"I know. I'm trying." But I hadn't tried hard enough. The System informed me of my elevated heart rate and breathing. I dismissed the alert and took a deep breath.

"I know you are," Mika said, his voice soft, trying to calm me down. "I know something happened with Adrian last week, and I think Nathaniel suspects it too."

I couldn't ignore this. I didn't know how Nathaniel had managed to learn so much without me knowing, but he was playing with things that _would_ piss Adrian off. I needed to stop this.

Walking to the bottom of the stairs, I tried to calm down. "Nathaniel," I called, "come down here please."

"What are you going to do?" Mika asked as the sound of Nathaniel's door opening and closing fell down the stairs.

"I don't know. But we need to talk about it."

Mika ran a hand through his hair. "I'll give you a minute." Then he vanished.

Nathaniel appeared at the bottom of the steps. "What is it?"

I had no idea how to start this conversation, or where to direct it. So I said the only thing I could think to. "You messed with Mika's programing?" My voice cracked at the end.

Nathaniel froze and stared at me with a blank look. "How did you know?"

"He told me."

Hurt flashed across his face before he scowled at his shoes. "I did. So what?"

" _So what?_ His program is monitored. If someone finds out about your tampering, what do you think will happen?" I knew Nathaniel was smart, these things must have occurred to him. But he did it anyway. I grit my teeth and tried to ignore the hollow feeling in my stomach.

He kept his gaze locked on his shoes, his hands clenching at his sides.

"And you removed the news censors. What else? Why?"

"What else am I supposed to do!" he demanded. "You don't tell me anything! I have to spend all day doing nothing and I can't even watch the news. What are you doing? Why won't you tell me?"

"You know what I do."

"Not that. What are you doing to get us out? I want to leave. I've been waiting. Why are you still working for him?" His voice cracked, and he kept blinking.

He was asking all the questions I'd been dreading. I knew he would ask them someday, and he had every right to. And I had no right to be angry at him for this.

"I'm sorry," I said, anger gone from my voice. "But things are going to change. I'm trying. I'm going to talk with Adrian. We've already been talking, a bit, about you moving out of the Facility and staying here."

"Really? Wait, you're not staying?"

"I still have to work."

"No!" he yelled. "That's _not_ what I want! I want to leave all of this. I'm sick of you leaving, I'm sick of you coming home with bruises, and I'm sick of Adrian. Why was he in our rooms last week? And why didn't you tell me? You've been acting stressed since then, so he did _something_." He swiped at his eye.

I felt sick. I could lie to him, maybe tell him Adrian had just been looking for me and the reason I was stressed was the assassination. Or I could tell him the truth. Both were awful, and though I hid things from him, I didn't want to lie to my brother.

It took a lot of effort to push the words out. "We can't leave."

"What do you mean?"

"I tried to get us out. That's why Adrian came to our rooms. He discovered I stole an ID chip and kept it in my room." I took a deep breath, forcing any emotion from my voice. "That was our chance, Nathaniel. And it wouldn't have worked anyway. There's nowhere for us to go. I'm sorry."

The color drained from Nathaniel's face. "What did he do?"

"He gave me a warning. It's okay. Things are going to get better. You'll have this house, and I'm going to see you often. It might take a while, but things will get better."

"You—" The way he looked at me twisted my stomach, like I'd betrayed him. And I had, in a way. I'd given up when he wanted to keep trying. But I wouldn't let him. He was only ten. He didn't understand what he was risking. And even if he did and was willing to risk his life to escape, I wasn't.

"You have to stop. No more messing with the Facility's computer programs." I should tell him to reset Mika, but if no one had noticed the changes by now, it was unlikely anyone would. And I wouldn't make him cut and delete things out of his friend's head. It was one thing to remove certain restrictions on Mika's ability to learn, but another to take that ability away from him.

"But—"

"No," I snapped. "If you really want to know what's going on, I'll talk to you more, and I'll leave the restrictions on the news off. But you have to promise me you'll stop this. We _can't_ risk it."

He looked at me for a long time, thoughts flickering behind his eye. He swallowed, blinking away something I couldn't read. "I promise."

"I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say.

He crossed the room and wrapped his arms around my waist. I returned the hug as he cried into my shirt. I couldn't make this right, but I could do better for Nathaniel. His life right now wasn't good enough, and I'd be having a discussion with Adrian about that. I wouldn't let him dismiss it. He'd told me if I showed loyalty to him, I'd be rewarded. Well, I had during the assassination, and I would continue to do so. It was the only thing left I could do. I ran my hand through Nathaniel's hair.

I would do better. No matter what deals I'd have to make or what I'd have to do.

**Present:**

"Welcome to Outo country!" A chorus of voices sang as an arm wrapped around my shoulder. I looked up to see a smiling woman with her hair done up in a pair of braids, a simple white cap perched on top. She had on a white apron over a black dress, with a pink flower logo centered on the collar of the apron.

I ducked out of the woman's grip, but she continued to beam at me as if nothing had changed. I held eye contact with her for a few more uncomfortable seconds before glancing around.

We stood on the side of a street. Instead of a street for cars was a trolley, its antenna sparking against the web of wires suspended above the street. The others stood next to me, similar women with matching uniforms fawning over them. I was sure we were making a scene, with our strange clothes, but the people passing by barely glanced at us.

"Your costumes are so pretty," said one of the women. She had Sakura in a bear hug, squealing over how cute she was. Sakura stared blankly back at the woman as Syaoran tried to escape his own captor to help her. Kurogane assumed a stunning poker face, ignoring the woman draped on his arm.

"There's lots of pretty women here, huh?" Fai said, his arm linked with the woman who'd greeted him.

"Your jacket is adorable." The woman who'd greeted me was back and pawing at the sleeve of my jacket. I snatched my arm away, ready to tell her to back off. "You all have different clothes. You're all from very different worlds, right?"

"People come here from other worlds?" Syaoran asked, finally freeing himself.

"Of course. Outo is very famous! Lots of people travel here to see its wonders."

A pair of hand gripped my shoulders. "Get off!" I finally snapped. She giggled and put a hand to her mouth. "Oops, sorry."

"Have you registered yet?" one of the women asked. We all gave her a blank look. "Oh dear, you'll need to be registered right away! Please follow us to city hall." The women began to usher us down the street.

I followed the lead woman, if only to keep them from grabbing me again. "So," I asked the braided woman, "what does being registered mean?"

"Oh don't worry," she said, waving away my concern, "it's very simple."

That was uncomfortably vague. Registering in a new country wasn't too surprising, but she was dodging the question. If this place was like Elpedite, registering an unknown citizen should be a serious matter, and she was being oddly casual. "What is it for?" I tried again.

"It just means you'll be able to earn money here, buy and sell stuff, get jobs, that sort of thing. Everyone who lives here has to register. Don't worry, it's simple and you don't need anything for it."

I raised an eyebrow. "What no paperwork, no ID? How do you know we're safe to let in?"

She waved a hand. "If you're here then it's fine."

I frowned. Her logic seemed backwards, even if it made things easier for us. This didn't make sense and it settled cold unease in my stomach. I glanced over her uniform. "So you're some kind of welcoming committee?"

"Exactly."

The city around us was clean, surprisingly so. All the brickwork in the buildings were stacked exactly on top of another with the mortar between untouched by erosion and the rails for the trolley system gleamed. The even sidewalk was uncracked and unstained. Potted flowers lined some of the shop entrances, all blooming a rainbow of colors.

We turned a corner to find cars rattling down the street. Well, I thought they were cars. They had the same basic shape, but were boxy, and instead of tires their wheels were thin and spindly.

"Here you are." The woman leading us swung out an arm, presenting a marble building with a tented roof and elegant designs curling across the front. "Just head inside and ask for help at one of the desks."

"Thank you," Fai said, nodding to the woman and ascending the steps to the city hall. We followed him, the welcoming committee waving goodbye as we went. Inside was a line of desks on the far wall, and some chairs for a kind of waiting area. There were only a few people at the desks, leaving several available.

"Hold on," I said as we entered the room. The others stopped to listen. "Mokona, should we stay here?"

Mokona, who stood on Fai's shoulder, hummed for a moment. "Yes! There's a feather here, but it's really faint. Mokona can't tell where it is. But Nathaniel . . . "

"Isn't here. That's fine. I just wanted to know. Let's go." I nodded to one of the available desks.

"I got it." Fai said, striding over to the desk and greeting the woman behind it. I was turning away to go sit down when I saw the woman helping a couple a few desks down, and stopped. She was unremarkable. Her light blonde hair curled around her cheeks and she had on a similar uniform to the welcoming committee. But the woman helping Fai looked exactly the same.

I joined Fai at the desk. "What's your name?" I asked her. Fai glanced up from some paperwork he was filling out, Mokona giggling on his shoulder at something he'd written.

"Emma. Nice to meet you." She gave me a polite smile.

I nodded. "And her name?" I pointed to the woman who shared her face.

"That's Emma."

Fai glanced between to two. "Oh?"

"She's an AI," I said, glancing her over. She had a glassy look in her eyes, and didn't even blink when I spoke. My world had AI, so I was used to them, but building a full body for one to operate was complicated and expensive, which was part of the reason I had The System and not a robot.

But what I'd seen of this world's technology so far didn't match this AI. They had slow, noisy cars, a trolley system, and I could see a single computer in the room. A full body AI—any AI—didn't seem to fit this world's level of technology. But she was here anyway.

"An AI?" Fai asked.

"Remember what I told you about computers? Machines that think in patterns and numbers? Well an AI is a computer that thinks like a person. An artificial intelligence." Emma stared back at me with an empty smile. The technology mismatch was only increasing my distrust of this world.

"That's amazing," Fai said, waving to Emma. She waved back.

I caught a glimpse of the paper Fai had been working on. He caught me staring and shrugged. "I can't read the language."

On the paper were five little drawings. A black dog, a smaller white dog, a black cat, a white cat, and a white rabbit.

"Are those supposed to be us?" I asked.

He beamed. "That's right, Rabbit." I raised an eyebrow, unsure how I'd inspire a rabbit. "Oh don't give me that look. It's adorable."

"Like Alice in Wonderland," Mokona said.

"Like what?" I aksed.

Mokona beamed. "It's a story about Alice and a white rabbit and talking flowers and a caterpillar and a smiling cat."

I frowned, unable to connect myself to rabbits and flowers and anything else Mokona had said, and realizing I was missing some key point to this.

"Not you," Fai said, trying to explain Mokona's lacking explanation. "It's a story from Mokona's world. A strange one it seems."

"Oh," I said, finally getting it. A little. Glancing over the rest of the drawings, I paused on the large dog with blocky eyebrows and an angry expression. "Is that supposed to be Kurogane?"

"You mean Big Puppy?" He glanced back at Kurogane with a smirk.

I was quiet for a moment. "Do you want him to kill you?"

He laughed as he handed Emma the paperwork.

After realizing we didn't have a place to stay, Emma showed Fai folder after folder of properties we might be interested in. After perusing for a few minutes, Fai selected one.

"We don't have any money," I said.

Emma nodded. "If you have any items you can part with, you could exchange them."

Fai turned to yell over his shoulder. "Big Puppy, could you bring our stuff over?"

"Stop calling me like a dog!" Kurogane snapped, snatching a bag of some of our supplies from the floor and startling Sakura nearly off her chair.

I turned to Emma and shrugged the rifle on my shoulder. "Do you have guns here? Better quality than this?"

She nodded. "There are several stores that sell firearms here. And I'd say that's an antique model. We could pay you for it."

"Here." I placed it on the counter. James had given me this rifle, but if I could use it to get a better model, it would still give me the same help James intended. For now, I'd use the money to help buy some property. But as soon as I saved back up, I was going shopping.

Kurogane glanced from my rifle to the woman. "What about swords?"

"There are plenty of shops that sell all kinds of blades."

He grinned, and I guessed he was having similar thoughts to mine. We'd been without our weapons of choice for too long.

After selling our clothes from Jade country, and my rifle, we had enough yen to buy one of the properties Emma recommended with some money left over. It was a two story building, set up for a business downstairs and living space upstairs with enough room for all of us.

We were on our way to the building, Syaoran leading with a map Emma gave us, when I noticed The System wasn't running. Between the aggressive welcoming committee, the pressure to register and get ourselves established here, I hadn't noticed the lack of information from The System. Usually small letters would flash in the corners of my vision, updating me on my vitals. They happened so often I didn't really see them anymore unless I was looking for them.

The background program I had scanning for Nathaniel and Adrian's faces wasn't running either. I knew Nathaniel wasn't here, but Adrian could be. I needed to be ready. With a thought, I turned The System back on.

I'd been hit with a TOR bolt once, a bullet made of lightning essentially, and that had been a bad day. The electricity had fried half of The System's functions and nearly killed me.

The pain I felt when I tried to turn The System on was like that. I chocked down a yell and fought the desire to curl up on the ground. The bricks of the sidewalk tilted under me. My hands flew up to my head, as if pressing my temples would hold my skull together.

Two version of reality battered against my senses, fracturing against each other and filling the spaces between with static. Someone was in my face, their voice soft with concern as sunlight danced across blonde hair, but I couldn't catch the words, and at the same time it was completely silent in a dark room except for one silver square of light reflecting off glass just an arm's length away. I sucked in gasps of air, but I was breathing too slowly at the same time the thud of my heart didn't match the sound of my heartbeat. The conflicting and equally important senses clashed against each other until I distantly made the connection between my pain and The System and fired the nerves that would _shut it off_.

The pain vanished. My lungs burned from a lack of air and I sucked in a deep breath. I blinked spots from my vision and took a moment to breathe and reorient myself.

We were on the same street but now I was sitting on a bench. Fai sat next to me, watching me with worried furrow in his brows. I pieced together the blurry memory of Fai guiding me to a seat. The others stood around us, all watching me, which made me feel even more uncomfortable.

Syaoran gave me a look of polite concern. "Are you all right?"

I nodded and stood slowly, my muscles aching. I rolled my wrists and tilted my head to check my balance and hearing. Everything seemed to be working right. "The System is broken."

"That thing in your head?" Kurogane asked. "Didn't you say it couldn't break?"

"It shouldn't. But it was never tested for traveling between worlds." It was the only explanation I could think of. With three control centers, each self-repairing, this shouldn't be possible. But The System was broken, and it felt like ice had replaced it. It wasn't that I used it to fight, even if that was a huge problem. I had dead metal in my limbs, my heart, my spine, my eyes. _My brain_.

In Elpedite, a team of doctors and scientists were ready to fix any problems like this. But I was stuck in a world that had no medical help for someone like me. And even if we went to a world that did, I wouldn't want to let anyone know what The System was. It was a weapon, and they'd want to use it.

Maybe this wouldn't be a problem. It could be The System was already fixing itself, or something unique to this world was interfering. Even if it was permanent, my body might be able to handle it. I'd heard of doctors leaving in bullets that had hit too close to vital organs for removal, so maybe my body would ignore the foreign material and nothing would go wrong. But I didn't think so.

"I'm fine," I said.

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked. She made a gesture as if to reach out to me, but she changed her mind.

"Yes. Let's get to the house."

Syaoran hesitated, but looked back to the map and set off down the street again. The others and I followed him. Sakura walked closer to me than before, and kept glancing at me.

Now that I knew The System was off, everything sounded fainter and my vision didn't seem as sharp. I was half sure it was just my imagination, but I couldn't leave the thought alone. I kept clenching my hand to make sure I could.

"This is it," Syaoran said.

I looked up to see a beautiful two story building. We'd left the city center behind, so this building had a yard around it, lined with trees. A string of powerlines over the right-hand side of the yard. A path of white stone lead through the yard to a set of sliding doors and wind chime hung from the roof next to them.

The first floor had walls of darkened windows, and the second floor had several regular windows, which I assumed were for the bedrooms. The entire house was painted white, and around the edges of the doors and windows were intricate lattice patterns.

Syaoran tucked the map under his arm and pulled the house keys from his pocket. He unlocked the door and we filed inside, our footsteps echoing through the open space. Moonlight reflected of the polished hardwood floor. A counter lined the far wall with a doorway that led into what I assumed was a kitchen and to the right of it a stairway ran up to the second floor.

"This is beautiful," Sakura said, then had to stifle a yawn with her hand.

"We bought this with our clothes and a rifle?" I asked. How were those worth any building?

Fai shrugged. "Well, they sold it to us."

The others wandered the room as Sakura slumped onto a couch and blinked sleep from her eyes. The couch sat with its back against the windows. Mokona leapt onto the seat next to her, fluffing a pillow just before she lost her fight and collapsed onto it, asleep.

I walked to the windows and looked out at the yard. Above the trees across the street, the glow of city's lights lit the night sky, the last shades of purple fading to black. Anxiety pricked at the edges of my mind, refusing to let me forget The System's shut down, but despite that, this might not be a bad place to stay. It was better than the mostly hostile greetings we'd received so far.

The darkness outside the window lurched, climbing from the shadows between the bushes. A silhouette rose to twice my height, blocking the city light and a pair of glowing yellow eyes stared back at me from just beyond the glass.

"Guys—" I managed as I jumped back.

"I see it!" Kurogane scooped Sakura off the sofa a second before the glass exploded. We all retreated to the far side of the room as shards of glass spun across the hardwood. A hulking figure dragged itself through the broken windows and into the light.

It hunched over, too tall for the room, on four sprawling legs that had three claws each. Two gaping yellow eyes sat like lanterns in its head above a mouth of jagged teeth. Spines ran down its back, ending in a sweeping tail.

"What's a kudan doing here?" I asked, keeping my eyes on the thing as it shifted its weight closer and let out a hiss.

"That's not a kudan," Kurogane said.

It lunged, crossing the room in one movement and lashing out with an arm. Fai rolled away, Syaoran jumped over the claws, and I, on instinct, activated The System.

I knew my mistake the second I made it, but it was too late. The room and the creature splintered around me, competing with a dark space surrounded by glass as I struggled for the impulse that would turn off The System. My balance shattered and my right knee buckled before I could shut it off.

A sharp jerk on my collar yanked me out of the way just before claws raked through the space I'd been. Kurogane glared down at me before letting go of my jacket. "Don't pull that now!"

Syaoran ran across the room, away from us as the creature fixated on him. The creature clawed at him, catching Syaoran on the right shoulder as he ducked away. He rolled to his feet ran directly for the nearest wall, the thing scrambling after him. He wasn't going to have enough room to get away, and the thing was winding up for another swipe.

"He's not—" I fumbled for one of my knives. But before I could get a grip, Syaoran leapt just as the creature swung at him. He kicked off the wall, twisted mid-air, and brought his heel down between the thing's eyes.

It stumbled away from him, fog spilling from its jaws with a crackling hiss. It twitched one time before its limbs melted away into shadows. The last drop fell to the floor, faded, and a burst of light lit the spot before dying away. Then there was nothing left.

"What was that?" I asked. I'd expected a ready explanation from someone, probably Fai, but everyone stayed silent. A check revealed expressions of concern and confusion, and on Kurogane's face, something tinged a bit darker.

"A monster," Kurogane finally said.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

In the morning, Fai, Syaoran and I made a trip to city hall. Fai convinced Kurogane to stay behind with the comatose Sakura. Well, he decided to sneak out with us before Kurogane could notice.

Fai leaned against Emma's counter. "Hello."

"Hello," Emma said. "You killed an oni last night, right?"

Syaoran and I started, and shared a frown. She shouldn't know that. I hadn't seen a single camera here, and even if they had them, her watching us through them would be disturbing enough. There could be people watching us. It would explain her knowledge. But I would have noticed if we'd been followed. Right?

"How do you know that?" Fai asked.

"The movement of all oni are monitored." So they didn't have camera's and they couldn't have people watching oni, it would be dangerous and inefficient. So what was it? Magic?

I stepped closer to the desk. "How? What are they?"

Emma frowned. "Well, oni are very dangerous, so city hall monitors their location and status. As for what they are, they are the enemy of Outo country, so they must be destroyed." I didn't like the way she said that. It was too simplistic and she hadn't answered my first question. "They usually appear at night, rarely during the day. They are strongest when the moon is full, and weakest when it is new."

Fai propped his elbows on the desk and his chin in his hands. "With creatures like that roaming around, the people here seem pretty relaxed." That's what I'd been thinking. There were too many things here that weren't making sense. They had no camera's but a mysterious monitoring system for the oni. They had robots and AI, but clunky cars and no computers. And I hadn't heard magic as an explanation for any of it.

Emma nodded. "Most oni are too busy dealing with our specialists to attack regular citizens. These specialists are called oni hunters and they keep the oni population under control to protect regular citizens. The stronger the oni they defeat; the more money they earn." She opened her drawer and withdrew a flat, metal object about the size of her palm, shaped like a cherry blossom. "The type of oni you defeated last night was a "ha" rank, fifth level. I believe you'd make fine oni hunters. Are you interested?"

"Would this job be a quick way to earn profit?" Fai asked.

"Of course."

_This might be a good job for me._ The best way to learn how to fight without The System was to practice. To get a gun, I'd need money, and if I did I would have the advantage. As a sort of hobby, I'd shut down The System before practicing at the shooting range. So I still had incredible aim without The System aiding me.

Fai turned to us. "What do you think Syaoran-kun, Alice-san?"

"I'll sign up," I said. I wouldn't be any good at any other job, and I needed to make money, so it wasn't much of a choice.

Syaoran frowned. "Is this job good for collecting information? I'm looking for something."

"Yes," Emma said. "Oni hunters have an underworld information flow, and certain areas of Outo country are only available to oni hunters." She looked between Syaoran and I. "But this work is dangerous."

"That's fine," I said.

Syaoran nodded. "I'll do it."

Emma opened her draw and pulled out a folder. "Now, you'll need a partner. Will you two be teaming up?"

Syaoran and I shared a look. I didn't want to team up. I liked being responsible for myself when I was working, and Syaoran wasn't exactly experienced in a fight. Sure, he could hold his own, but it was obvious he was more accustomed to the occasional street brawl than regular combat.

"I, well . . . I was thinking . . . " Syaoran grimaced.

"I don't want to team up." I said, saving him from whatever he was trying to say. It was rude, but it looked like Syaoran had something else in mind anyway.

"One of you could team up with Kuro-pu," Fai said.

Guilt flickered in Syaoran's eyes. "But he's not here."

Fai laughed. "You think he'd say no? If we leave him out, he'll be mad."

"You should team up with him," I said. Syaoran preferred to partner with Kurogane, but was too polite to agree without his presence, but I doubted the man would mind.

Syaoran hesitated, then turned to Emma. "My partner will be Kurogane-san."

"Wonderful," Emma said, writing Syaoran's information into her folder.

"Can I work alone?" I asked.

"Sorry, but it's law that oni hunters must have a partner. There is a temporary permit, for those who need to find a partner, but you'll only be able to hunt up to rank five oni during that time, and the permit expires after a week."

I sighed. I'd take it for now, but I had no clue who would be my partner. I wasn't any good at meeting new people, but if I was lucky I could find someone with a similar skill level who was only interested in business interactions. I'd figure it out. "Okay. I'll sign up."

She smiled and jotted something down in the folder.

"What about you?" she asked Fai.

He stretched and gave her a lazy grin. "I just want to relax and take it easy, but help pick up information. Are there any jobs like that?"

"Yes, there's something like this," She opened her drawer, but before she even handed Fai the papers he gave her a thumbs up.

"I'll take that one."

Syaoran started. "You don't even know what it is."

Fai grinned and shrugged.

Hunting oni would be difficult, even after I bought a gun. They were an unfamiliar enemy in an unfamiliar world, and The System was gone. But I would figure it out.

A moment later, I held my temporary oni hunting license. My blue eyes stared back at me from the photo, expressionless.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I slid open the door to the house, Syaoran and Fai behind me. Kurogane sat hunched in the corner, glaring at us as we entered. Sakura lay soundly asleep on the couch next to him.

"We're back," Fai sang, patting Kurogane on the head. "Have you been a good little Kuro-woof?"

"Stop treating me like a dog," Kurogane snapped, shoving his hand away.

"We got you a job," Fai said. "Syaoran-kun and Kuro-woof have to defeat the evil oni and take their treasure."

Kurogane turned to Syaoran. "You, explain."

A minute later Kurogane grinned and rose to his feet. "Oni hunting, huh? Looks like this world will be some fun." He looked at me. "How come you don't have to partner up?"

"It's a temporary license, until I find a partner. If I don't find one within a week, it expires."

He gave me a lingering look, but turned his attention back to Syaoran. "Are you ready for this?"

"Huh?" Syaoran asked.

"We don't know how strong these oni are. This isn't for amateurs." He glared at Syaoran and reached out, pushing back the hair from his face. "And you're blind in your right eye."

Fai's smile dropped as he stared at Syaoran. I'd already known, having figured it out in Koryo when his movements reminded me of Nathaniel. I'd kept quiet out of respect for Syaoran, and because it hadn't been a major problem yet. But if Kurogane was going to be Syaoran's partner, he had the right to address it.

"When I first saw you in action, you used your kudan with your spirit, not your sight. Then in Koryo, when the overlord's son grabbed the princess's arm, you didn't react. It was like you didn't see it." Kurogane's eyes narrowed. "That man meant to hurt her, had murder in his eyes. When you heard what him, then finally saw him, you reacted with brutal intensity. Then last night," he pointed to the bandage on Syaoran's right arm, "you reacted late on your right side. If the oni had been any stronger, you wouldn't have gotten away with just a cut."

Syaoran was a good street fighter. But that was all. He wasn't used to any sort of battlefield. If he went out to fight oni without any preparation or mental shift, he would get hurt, badly.

Syaoran took a slow breath. "I will do everything I can to not be a burden to you." He bowed. "Please."

"Let him do it, Kuro-sama!" Fai said, his cheer returned.

Kurogane glanced from Fai back to Syaoran and sighed. "Fine."

Syaoran beamed and bowed again. "Thank you so much."

"Yeah, yeah," Kurogane waved him away.

"Okay," Fai said, "you guys can't get to work until tonight, so until then, help me out with my job." I raised an eyebrow, not sure how he thought I could help run a café.

"What, you got a job?" Kurogane asked.

Fai propped his hands on his hips. "I'm the proud new owner of a café."

Syaoran eyed the empty room. "Fai-san, I think this is a bit empty."

"Exactly," Fai drew one of the flower cards from his pocket with a flourish. "Our first step: shopping."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Fai, Kurogane, and I ended up going out shopping, leaving Syaoran and Sakura behind. Fai knew what we needed for the café, Kurogane needed a sword, and I needed a gun. Kurogane insisted our first stop be the sword shop. I agreed. This way, I could sell my sword to have enough money for at least a handgun.

I wasn't thrilled to be selling the sword. Even if it wasn't my weapon of choice, I still used it to block TOR shots. But I hadn't seen a TOR gun since I'd left my world, and without The System I wouldn't have the reaction time or projectile prediction systems to block any bullets.

The shop had walls and tables of every kind of blade and then some. On one of the walls hung a giant double-bladed ax, next to a longsword. A pair of brass knuckles glinted on a nearby table beside a clumsy looking hammer. In the center of the far wall was a desk with a hunched old man behind it. He held a simple wooden staff and blinked at us through bushy eyebrows. "Welcome," he said, "what can I help you find."

Kurogane stepped further into the shop. "A sword. And a good one."

As Kurogane spoke to the shop owner, I examined the various weapons. There were some guns here, but Emma had told me about a shop down the street that specifically sold firearms, and it had a shooting range inside, so I'd be able to test a few pistols before buying them.

I found one weapon hanging between a sword and spear that I couldn't really identify. It was a chain with a little scythe on one end and a weight on the other.

"Have you seen one of these before?" Fai asked, pointing to the strange weapon.

"Never," I said. "What is it?"

Fai shrugged. "No clue. Sorry." He picked up a box from one of the tables and opened it. Inside were two rows of five darts. He plucked one from the case and looked it over. He smiled, put it back, and tucked the box under his arm. I wouldn't have picked darts for a weapon, but it wasn't my problem.

"I think he found the right one," Fai said. I followed his gaze to Kurogane holding a sword. "He's got that look on." And Kurogane was grinning, that same grin he wore whenever a fight started. Fai went to join him and they bought the darts and sword. The sword was a similar style to the one he'd paid Yuuko. It was a long, single-edged blade with a curved cross guard.

Once the old man had finished the transaction, I took my sword off my belt. "Can I sell this here?"

He rolled up the sleeves of his robe and held out a hand. I gave him the sword. He pulled it from it sheath with a surprisingly graceful motion and examined the blade, tilting it so it glinted in the light.

"What are you asking for it?" he asked.

Somehow, I'd forgotten to pay attention to this world's money system, and had no idea what yen was worth. Should I ask for ten, fifty, three hundred yen? I should have been paying attention to what Kurogane paid for his sword.

The old man raised an eyebrow. I'd been quiet for too long.

"Hmm," Fai leaned against the desk, "I figured you'd ask for fifty thousand."

I nodded. "Yes. Fifty thousand." Fai probably knew the money system the best, having handled most of our transactions with Emma, and just buying the darts and sword.

"What about forty thousand?" the man asked. "It looks pretty standard to me."

"Standard?" I blinked. That sword could catch TOR bolts and protect me from the shock. It could deflect bullets without shattering and I'd used it for nearly ten years. But I didn't know how to tell him about that. TOR bolts likely didn't exist here, and I couldn't prove it could deflect bullets.

"Here." The old man handed me the sword before disappearing into the back of the store. I glanced to Fai, thinking I'd missed something, but he shrugged.

The man returned, towing something that looked a bit like a punching bag, but where the bag should have been there was a bundle of bamboo.

"Strike this please," he said, standing it in front of me. This must have been some kind of training dummy, or something to specifically test a sword's quality. Normally, I wouldn't have worried about it. But The System usually found the perfect angle and power for a strike, and now I was left to figure it our myself.

I took a basic stance and gripped my sword with both hands. Muscle memory and what skill I had left would have to work.

"Ha!" I swung with all my strength, rocking my weight into the strike, and hit the bamboo with a crack. There was a moment of resistance, then I pulled my swing short before it could cut into the floor. The bamboo clattered to the tile, but something else bounced with a metallic ring.

There was bamboo, and darker, harder beams of wood and one pole of metal. I checked the stand, and found I'd cut all the way through, exposing the middle ring of wood, and the single center pole of metal.

Everyone was silent for a moment, before Kurogane snorted. "I'd start asking for sixty thousand, brat."

After some discussion, the man finally agreed on 57,000 yen. I left with it on my flower card. Fai had gotten one for each of us from Emma and given me mine before we'd left to shop.

I wasn't sure what I felt when I handed the man my sword. I'd never wanted it, but it had saved my life multiple times, and was one of the last things I had from my world. Maybe I should have felt relieved to see something Adrian gave me leave, even if I'd come to rely on it. I wanted to keep it, if only to figure out why I wasn't happy to see it go, like I could negotiate my emotions into what I wanted. But I needed a gun more than a sword, so I let it go.

Once we exited the store and set off for the gun shop, my mood lightened. It wasn't an easy choice to sell my sword, but it had been mine. Up until the last second, I could have changed my mind. And technically the sword was Adrian's, so I'd just made a profit off his stolen property. I smirked.

Several blocks later, we found Sarah's Lucky Shot. A bell rang as I opened the door. A dark haired woman with black framed glasses stood behind the counter. She glanced up at us and away from a customer examining a rifle. "Be with you in a minute."

I scanned the room, finding rifles on the left wall, handguns and others on the right, and the door to the shooting range in the back wall next to the counter. I went directly for the handguns. Eventually, I'd like to come back for a rifle and a revolver. But right now a handgun was a good, basic firearm and I could afford it. On the table were three rows of handguns, all secured to the table with a retractable wire, each with a sort of lock in the chamber so that they couldn't be loaded.

"What kind are you looking for?" Fai asked, examining a revolver.

"Semi-automatic pistol, 9mm or similar."

He glanced from me to the revolver. "Like this?"

"That's a revolver. It can only fire about six shots before you have to reload it. They're a bit more reliable, but I need something faster. Like this." I picked up a small black pistol. "They use magazines, so they shoot between six and thirty times before you have to reload."

"Hi, I'm Sarah," said the woman who'd greeted us when we'd entered. "How can I help you?"

"I need a semi-automatic pistol. I'd prefer a lower caliber."

"How about this?" Sarah asked, picking up another pistol. It was black with a pebbled grip and silver filigree pattern curling around the barrel. "It's 9mm, the magazine holds fifteen rounds, and it's a good size for you."

"Does it have a DNA lock?"

She frowned. "A what?"

"Never mind." I waved away the question, moving on before she could wonder why I asked about technology that didn't exist here. "What does it cost?"

"I'm asking 48,500."

That was most of my money. But I'd have enough left over for a few boxes of ammo and a holster. I planned on going after oni tonight, so I'd be earning more money soon.

"Would you like to test it out?" Sarah asked.

"Yes."

She pulled a key from her pocket and unchained the gun. "If you want to head back to the shooting range, I'll be there in just a moment." She took the gun to the back.

I found a bin of noise-canceling earmuffs next to the door to the shooting range. Guessing they were for customer use, I picked up a pair. Hanging them across my neck, I turned to Fai and Kurogane.

"If you're going to come, you're going to want to wear one of these."

"Why?" Kurogane asked.

I frowned. "Guns are very loud. Haven't you fired one before?" It should have occurred to me that Kurogane's world might not have firearms. A sword was his preferred weapon, after all.

Kurogane gave the earmuffs a skeptical look. "No. My Japan doesn't have weapons like that."

"Oh," I said. Kurogane must have years' worth of battle experience, it was obvious after seeing him fight. But I hadn't imagined he fought in a world without guns, or similar weapons.

Fai shrugged. "Now's a good time to learn about them," he said and plucked two sets from the bin, handing Kurogane a pair.

I entered the shooting range, Fai and Kurogane following me. The stalls were empty, so I had my pick. I chose the center one.

Sarah returned with the gun and her own pair of red ear muffs. "Okay," she said, "there are five test rounds in the magazine. If you want more after that you'll have to pay for them. Sound good?"

"Yes." I secured the earmuffs and she handed me the gun.

"What distance do you want?" she asked, raising her voice and pointing to a paper target midway down the range.

"All the way out," I said.

She nodded and pressed a few buttons on the wall behind us. The target clattered as it flew down the track before stopping with a click. "Ready to go," she said.

I raised the gun with both hands and flicked off the safety. I lined the sights up on the center of the target and took a deep breath. I could do this. I'd never needed The System to shoot, and I didn't need it now. My hands were steady. I gritted my teeth and pulled the trigger.

I fired five times, taking a split second to correct my aim between shots. The familiar bark of the gun and the impact of the recoil were reassuring. I may have lost The System, but I wasn't defenseless.

"Done?" Sarah asked once I lowered the gun. I nodded and she hit a button. The target whirred as the track brought it back to the stall. In the center black dot of the target were five holes, two overlapping each other.

Fai sang his fake whistle. "Impressive, Alice-san."

I gave the gun one last look over before turning to Sarah.

"I'll buy it."

Minutes later, I stood outside the shop with a holster on my hip, three boxes of bullets in a bag, and the gun in my hand. As I slid the magazine into place with a snap, it occurred to me I'd never bought anything before. Up until this point, everything I'd earned had been through Adrian. If Nathaniel or I wanted something, I had to ask him for it, and do exactly what he demanded. Buying something with money I'd earned without having to subject myself to Adrian's whims, felt nice. It was like taking a deep breath after holding it for a long time.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I spent the rest of the shopping trip following Fai and Kurogane as Fai directed us to various shops. Our first stop had been a clothing store, since none of our clothes blended in with this world's. Once Fai asked the shop owner about café uniforms he'd picked some up for everyone. He handed Kurogane the bags.

"Why the hell do I have to carry it?"

"Because you're strong, Kuro-woof."

Kurogane gave him a withering look before turning his attention to the racks of outfits. I wandered off to pick up my own set of clothes. Fai had gotten uniforms for everyone, so I needed something casual to wear, and new gear for hunting oni.

I'd given some thought to my armor and decided I should get something else. The black jacket and pants I had on worked well, but they stuck out here, and if I ran across Adrian, my Elpedite clothes would make me easy to spot. And if this world had a regular profession dedicated to combating oni, they probably had decent armor.

The casual set was easy. I found a section of Yukata, which was standard dress for this world, but not what I wanted. The yukata was too restrictive for the kind of movement I wanted. But I found something similar. It had the same kind of folded top but with loose pants that could be pulled up and tied over the top. I picked up a set with maroon pants and a grey top and tucked them under my arm.

But I had to look for a while before I could find the armor. The store had a section dedicated to oni hunting clothes, but there was such a variety, and I walked past the sign I couldn't read a few times before finally asking a store attendant for help.

He pointed me to section where some clothes seemed like formal wear, while others were elaborate suits of metal that looked like a pain to put on. And I wasn't sure how a cocktail dress was protective gear, but there was normal gear hidden in the racks.

After wandering the maze for a while, I decided on a black long-sleeved shirt that was made of some kind of Kevlar-like material, but lighter. The attendant assured me it was blade and bullet proof, so I decided I'd try it. I found some light-weight breastplates, and chose a gray one. I wanted to keep my clothes dark, considering I'd be hunting oni at night. A pair of pants made from similar material as the shirt and arm guards that matched my breastplate finished the set. I decided to keep the gloves and boots from my world because they were plain, and I wanted to be cost efficient.

I tucked my clothes under one arm and went to find Kurogane and Fai. I just followed the shouting.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I set down the table, lining it up with the others Syaoran and I had brought in. Fai had ordered the furniture for the café at a shop on our way back, and the tables and chairs had been delivered half an hour ago. Kurogane had fixed the hole in the wall the oni had left with the new windows Fai had also ordered.

Now Kurogane was hanging up curtains, while Fai organized the kitchen and Syaoran and I set up the dining space. Sakura lay asleep on the couch, but as I draped the tablecloth on the table, she groaned and sat up.

"Good morning Sakura-chan," Fai said.

Syaoran set down a table and went to her side. "How are you feeling, princess?" Syaoran sat down next to her, explaining everything that had happened while she slept. She followed along with a nod or question now and then.

"The oni . . . are they dangerous?" Sakura asked when Syaoran had finished.

"We don't know yet," Syaoran said, his confident expression faltering as he searched for something to reassure her.

"I don't think we need to worry very much," Fai said, elbowing Kurogane. "We have three oni hunters here after all."

"Right," Sakura said. She smiled, but worry still bled through when she looked at Syaoran. "Is there something I can do?"

"Actually," Fai took Sakura's uniform from the counter, "this café is to help us gather information, and I was wondering if you'd like to help run it?"

"Of course!" Sakura stood and took the uniform with both hands, nodding vigorously. "Should I change?"

"It would be a good idea to see if it fits."

She clutched the fabric to her chest and disappeared upstairs. She returned a moment later. The uniform was a flowing white kimono-like dress that fell to her shins, and a rosy apron and headband. "Does this look right?" She asked Syaoran.

Pink colored his cheeks. He nodded.

She gave Syaoran a shy smile, but it fell a second later. "Just be careful not to get hurt, okay?"

"Okay," he said, his tone firm.

I pushed another table into place just before Mokona leapt onto it with a squeak. Mokona's eyes were wide, like they'd sensed a feather, but instead they opened their mouth and a whirl of colors swirled out. I took a step back as they spiraled into a single point and created a plate of cakes.

"What— Why did that happen?" I asked.

"It's a gift from Yuuko," Mokona said. I had a hard time imagining Yuuko giving anything away. My interaction with her had been brief, but she'd made a strong impression.

"A gift?" Fai asked, leaning over to examine the plate.

"That witch doesn't _give_ anything away," Kurogane said, glowering at the food.

"Well I've just finished the tea, so why don't we all have some with it?" Fai said, pulling a tray of steaming cups off the counter and passing them around.

"Thanks," I said when Fai handed me a mug.

Sakura took plates and forks from the counter and started passing out the desserts. When she got to me I shook my head. "I'll pass."

She blinked. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. I didn't want to owe that woman for anything. With the cold way she did business, and the atmosphere of control she held, she reminded just a little of Adrian, and that was too much. She didn't have that empty look in her eyes like Adrian, and she'd seemed genuinely sympathetic to Syaoran's situation, but I would risk it. I wouldn't take anything _free_ from a woman that could rip memories from your head.

"I won't have any either," Kurogane said, crossing his arms.

Fai crept up behind him. "You should: it's delicious." When Kurogane opened his mouth to reply, Fai stuck a forkful of the cake in. Fai made a graceful retreat as Kurogane processed what happened.

"What the hell?" Kurogane shouted.

When Kurogane had stopped muttering death threats, and the others finished eating, Kurogane gripped his sword and stalked over to the door. "I need to kill something." He turned to Syaoran and I. "You two have three minutes to get ready."

I nodded and disappeared upstairs. I'd assumed I'd be working on my own tonight, but working together for the first night in a new world of strange monsters wasn't a bad idea.

"Ready," I said, descending the stairs in my new gear and my gun on my hip. It was a familiar weight I'd been missing, and having it back made my step lighter.

"I am, too," Syaoran said.

"Let's go." Kurogane said, sliding open the door.

"Happy hunting Kuro-puppy, Syaoran-kun, Alice-san!" Fai waved us off along with Mokona and Sakura.

Kurogane half turned back to Fai before pausing, growling something under his breath, and stomping down the walkway.

I shut the door behind us. "So where are we supposed to find these oni?" I asked. I glanced around, half expecting one to crawl from the shadows between the trees.

Syaoran pulled a slip of paper from his pocket. "The person I spoke to a city hall said they frequent the back alleys in this area of the city." Kurogane and I leaned over to check the map.

"We're here," Syaoran said, pointing to a section just outside of the busier part of the city, then circled a web of smaller streets a few blocks away, "and the alleys are here."

We set off. Streetlights lined the road we walked leaving long spaces of shadow between the pools of light. We passed a couple on a bench. The girls glanced once at us before turning their attention back to each other. Why would they be here, on a dark street near a site regularly haunted by oni? I sighed as we left them behind. Maybe they were just ignorant of it, or the oni hunting teams here were that good at their jobs.

Syaoran turned a corner, and beyond was a dark alley. The streetlights didn't reach here. A handful of flickering lights dotted the alley, but not enough to really illuminate the place. Kurogane rested his sword on his shoulder, seemingly relaxed for the situation. Syaoran, however, kept glancing around and his hands were balled into fists.

I held my gun at my side, safety off and finger over the trigger. If we were fighting humans I'd feel better about this. But I was fighting monsters, which were much bigger than me and unpredictable, and I didn't have The System to help me.

A crash on my right made me jump, and I spun to see a cat scramble off a dumpster and into the shadows.

"Would you relax?" Kurogane said.

I glared at him for a second before Syaoran pointed behind us.

"Do you see that?"

Behind us, our shadows stretched across the pavement, but somehow seemed to be twitching and spreading on their own. The darkness solidified and crawled free of it borders and up off of the pavement to form hunched over oni with horns, shaggy hair, and lantern eyes.

"Finally," Kurogane said.

It wasn't only our shadows. All over the street figures dripped and crawled from darkened places. Syaoran took two steps and spun into a kick that cut through the nearest three.

I turned to the other side of the alley. One of the creatures pulled free of the darkness and skittered toward me.

I raised my gun, centered the sights on the creature's forehead as it closed the distance, and pulled the trigger.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN:** This chapter was posted 9/10/18. This is a pretty early update for me, which is strange because my life got **very** busy in the last few weeks. Please look for another note at the end, but for now, enjoy!

**Six Years Ago:**

I didn't know the man's name, just that he was stone faced and twice my size. I'd been sparring with him for weeks now, unable to win. The last few times, I'd gotten close, but one mistake and he'd end the fight, and make me regret it.

Sweat dripped from a strand of my hair as I panted, waiting for the next move. The man tensed.

I sprang back, avoiding the roundhouse kick by inches. As his foot returned to the floor, I'd thought I had a moment to get some room, but he moved with his momentum. He snapped out a front kick that slammed into the center my chest.

The air rushed out of my lungs in a huff. I coughed as I landed, but rolled back to my feet. My entire chest burned, and the effort of pulling air back into my lungs ate up my focus.

In the corner of my vision, Adrian and some medical staff observed us from beyond the practice mat. Adrian was here to see how my combat training was going, and the medical staff were here in case me or my opponent got injured.

I forced myself to ignore the pain as the man was already moving again. He was going to kick. I could see it in the set of his hips.

When he front kicked again, I pivoted, letting the strike miss me by inches. When his foot was level with my chin, I lunged.

I seized his boot and shoved it up and away with all my might. It threw him off balance, and he fell to the floor with enough impact I could feel the vibrations in my feet.

He was halfway back up when I elbowed him in the nose. Instead of recoiling in pain, he raised a fist to punch me.

I knocked his arm aside by the wrist, seizing it and using it as leverage to slam my knee into his face.

There was a crunch, and he dropped to the floor. I stared at him through raised hands, panting. He raised a hand in a dazed, half-conscious way before it dropped to his stomach. After three seconds of motionlessness, I'd won.

"Well done," Adrian said, grinning as the medical staff moved to help my opponent. I hated the little spark of pride that bloomed at his praise. My hate for him wasn't diminishing. But another emotion was starting to catch hold, and it terrified me. I glared at him as I stepped off the mat and sat down.

He handed me a water bottle. I snatched it away and drained it within seconds.

Looking over his handheld screen, he glanced at me. "Take a five-minute break. After that, you'll spar against me."

Fear extinguished the brief moment of pride. Images of Adrian, standing in my house with a single drop of my parent's blood on his check, holding my brother with one arm and a knife in the other hand, ran through my head.

Adrian smirked. "Relax. We're going to spar, not actually fight. I just want a clearer view of your progress."

"Oh," I said, not at all reassured.

The next five minutes passed far too quickly. The medical staff woke my fallen opponent and guded him from the room. I wanted them to come back, though I wasn't sure why. None of them had shown me any warmth, but I wanted _someone_ else in the room with Adrian and I.

I clasped my hands together to hide their shaking.

"Get up. We're starting." Adrian took off his jacket, throwing it to the side before moving to the center of the mat.

I obeyed, my legs weak and my stomach hollow. A few feet away from Adrian, I set my stance, holding my hands closer to my face than usual. I should hold them out farther, if Adrian wanted me to demonstrate my abilities, but my arms refused to adjust.

Adrian set his own stance, his expression empty. "Begin."

His eyes flashed red as his System activated, and he _moved_.

I raised my arm to block the punch after it struck my right cheek and he'd kicked me aside. My back hit the ground and I gasped, shoving myself into a crouch.

But Adrian stepped back, his expression still unreadable. "Get up."

My check throbbed, but I got up and set my stance again.

"Begi—" Adrian cut himself off as I lunged. I was taking a chance. This wasn't really disobeying him, but it could still piss him off. But in the past Adrian had applauded strategy, and I was really hoping he'd feel that way about a surprise attack.

I landed a hit to his stomach, but before I could snatch my hand back, he seized my wrist. He pulled me closer and slammed his knee into my stomach.

It wasn't his full strength, otherwise I would've felt a rib snap, but pain wrapped my entire torso as I wrenched my hand away and pushed off him.

"Good try," he said, smirking. He clenched his fist and swung a hook.

I ducked, striking him in the ribs as I rose. This time I pulled my arm back before he could grab it. I shifted my weight to get away, but he knocked me aside with a backhand to the head. I kept my footing, adrenaline masking most of my pains now, and kicked the back of Adrian's knee. It buckled, but he righted himself instantly.

He swung at me with an elbow and I jumped back. I raised my leg to deliver a roundhouse kick, and in a blink he'd kicked the leg bearing my weight and sent me to the floor.

I rolled away before pushing myself back to my feet. Adrian greeted me with a jab. I slapped his hand away, side stepping closer on the outside of his arm. I raised my hand and jabbed at his eyes, functioning more on instinct than thought now.

He snatched my wrist when it was inches away and gripped my elbow with the other, using my own momentum to swing me down and into an arm lock. He put on just enough pressure to let me know he could have broken my arm, before letting me up.

I spun on him, trying to land an uppercut to his chin.

He kicked my legs out from under me and when I hit the ground this time, I knew I wasn't getting back up. But the fight wasn't over until he said it was.

I tried to get to my feet, but I fell to my hands and knees, panting. I braced to push myself up again, time felt like it was grinding to a stop. Adrian's foot slammed into my stomach, spinning me onto my back.

Against my instincts, I squeezed my eyes shut in pain, trying to get my breath back and get up.

"We're done," Adrian said.

I let my head drop back onto the mat in relief. When I opened my eyes, Adrian held out his hand. Too tired to spite him, I accepted his help up. His smirk ignited my irritation. That last kick was just to be sure I was really out of adrenaline. Jerk.

He ruffled my hair. "You did well."

I ducked away from his hand, glaring at him. "You obviously won."

"I knew you'd lose," he said. "I just wanted to see how badly. But you did well. Go see the medical staff and you can have the rest of the day off. Take your brother to the gardens or something. I'll send someone to escort you, when you're ready."

I waited for more conditions, but he was silent. I nodded and left the room as fast as I could. My head and stomach throbbed with pain, and all I really wanted right now was to see my brother.

**Present:**

The oni swarmed across the alley all round us, crawling up the walls and slinking around the dumpsters, always edging closer.

The first oni to get too close burst into ribbons of shadow as my bullet hit it between the eyes. The second met the same end. But the third one was too close.

I was used to fighting people. When you pointed a gun at them they'd duck and run, or fire back. Sometimes they froze. If they ran, sometimes they'd get away. But most of the time, they were too slow, and I fired before they could. Rarely, the runners got away, because I'd be busy with the bigger threats first. When they did, I was caught between relief, and something like distant disappointment that they'd abandon they're comrades.

But these oni just kept running at me, uncaring of the gun in my hands. I stumbled back, crushing the instinct to call on The System. Trying to use the thing now would flood my senses, and leave me exposed to attack. The oni ducked under my line of fire and lunged for my side. I dropped my weight and angled my elbow down. I aimed for the head, missed, and landed the hit on its shoulder. It snarled, a sound high and broken with crackles. While it was off balance, I stepped back and delivered a front kick to its chest. It stumbled back, giving me the room I wanted. I shot it in the head and seeing it burst into wisps, turned to deal with the rest.

After a few more shots, I fell into a rhythm of sweeping from the left of the alley, to the right, and back again.

Kurogane, who hadn't moved from his relaxed stance, grumbled and rubbed his ear. "That thing's obnoxious."

I resisted the urge to glare at him, keeping my eyes on the dark figures skittering around me. "I'll get a silencer tomorrow."

"And you," Kurogane said, looking to syaoran, "You're kicking all the time. Because of your eye?"

"Yes," Syaoran said, his voice straining as he side-kicked an oni. "My lack of depth perception throws off my punches. With kicks, that isn't as much of a problem."

"You taught yourself?"

"No." He front-kicked one of the monsters away before running into an ax kick at it. "I had a teacher when I was young."

I used a second of reprieve to glare at Kurogane. "Are you going to help?" He hadn't even moved since the fight started. An oni ran up the wall, kicked off, and leapt at my head. I ducked away, slower than I would have liked, barely dodging its claws. I stood upright and shot it point blank in the back of the head.

Kurogane snorted and swung his sword off his shoulder. Three shadows dropped from the rooftops, falling towards him, claws out. Kurogane smirked, spun, and sliced through all of them in one swing.

I shot the last two shadows on my side of the alley. When nothing else appeared, I lowered my gun. "This side is clear."

I heard the impact of one of Syaoran's kicks before he spoke. "Clear here, too."

"Aww," said a high voice, coming from above. "You got them all."

I looked up in time to see a girl, a dog, and a man step off the roof. I flinched when they landed, but they seemed fine.

"Hi!" the girl said, giving us a casual salute. On her hip gleamed a holstered revolver. She had chin-length black hair, a sunny smile, and a shirt and skirt that could have been some kind of uniform. "I'm Yuzuriha Nekoi, fourteen years old and an oni hunter!"

"I'm Shiyu Kusanagi," the man next to her said. He had a scar over his left eye, short black hair, a cape, and a general military presentation. His cloak hung over something on his hip, a knife or gun maybe.

Yuzuriha approached me. "That was some great aim!"

I blinked. "Thanks?" She was only a few years younger than me, but it was weird to see a kid as an oni hunter. And one that complimented me on my aim. There must have been some kind of age restriction on oni hunting, right?

"You're really good." She tilted her head. "But aren't you part of the new group here?"

Kurogane raised an eyebrow. "How would you know?"

"Well," she snickered, "Sorry, but your names are pretty memorable."

"Names?" Syaoran and Kurogane asked together.

I sighed, bracing for Kurogane's inevitable reaction. He was going to find out eventually. I turned to them. "Fai signed us up, but he couldn't read or write in this language." Kurogane's eyes narrowed. "So he drew pictures instead."

"Let me guess," Yuzuriha said, pointing to me. "Rabbit?"

I nodded.

She pointed to Syaoran. "Little puppy!"

I nodded again as Syaoran sputtered and blushed.

By the time she pointed to Kurogane, his face was already turning red, but not out of embarrassment. "Big puppy!"

"Yes," I sighed.

"I'm gonna kill him," Kurogane said, his voice suddenly flat. He spun on his heels and marched back down the alley towards the café.

I glanced at Syaoran. "Think he'll really do it?"

Syaoran gave me a nervous smile before we started after him. Apparently, Kurogane was done oni hunting for the night. And I'd been too slow earlier to feel confident hunting any on my own.

"Where are you going?" Yuzuriha asked.

"Back to our café, I think," Syaoran said.

"Oh, a café!" She turned to her companion. "Shiyu, we should go!"

They followed us back to the café, out group hanging several feet back from the fuming man with the sword. Every once in a while his grip on the sword twitched and he muttered under his breath. I watched his every move, wondering if he was as angry as he appeared. Most of the people I'd been around had been through serious military training, and didn't show anger on a whim. If they let their emotions show this much, they were either in extreme circumstances, or crazy.

When we reached the front yard, Kurogane ran the last few steps and slammed the door open. "You rat!" he bellowed.

Sakura, who sat on the floor next to Fai, jumped, knocking a paint brush she was holding onto her chin. Fai, however, calmly looked up from the sign he was painting. "Welcome home."

"You gave us weird names!" Kurogane said, stomping closer to loom over Fai.

Fai shrugged. "I couldn't write. And besides, Big Puppy is a great name."

Kurogane silently drew his sword.

On the way back, I'd been fairly certain Kurogane wouldn't actually hurt Fai. I was less sure now. I moved to a seat in the counter, removing myself from the potential radius of violence. Kurogane was stronger than me. If I'd had The System and some distance, I'd probably be able to get away, at least. But as I was now, I didn't have a chance against him.

Syaoran sat in the chair next to me. I flashed him a glance before returning my attention the the angry man with a sword.

"I don't think he's really that mad," Syaoran said, giving me a reassuring smile.

I raised an eyebrow. "He looks pissed to me."

Fai lifted the sign he'd been painting, the face of a black cat, like the one's he'd drawn. "I was thinking about calling the café The Cat's Eye."

Kurogane swiped his sword at Fai's head, but the man took a quick step out of the way, barely flashing him a glance.

Syaoran rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, he's not _really_ trying, right? I think it's more posturing than real anger."

Syaoran could be right. Kurogane's swings were exaggerated, and I'd seen him move faster than that in the Hanshin Republic. I didn't really get the point though, if that was the case.

Shiyu, Yuzuriha, and their dog stepped into the café. "This place is so cute," Yuzuriha said.

Shiyu took a deep breath. "And something smells really good."

"That's a new recipe we're experimenting with," Fai said, bending backwards to avoid another slash of Kurogane's sword. "Would you like to try some?"

"Yes, please," they said in unison.

A moment later, Fai set out two dishes of a chocolate cake very similar to the ones Yuuko sent. Each cake sat in the center of a small plate. Fai placed a fork next to each plate.

"This is delicious," Yuzuriha said after taking a bite of her cake.

Shiyu took a bite as well. "We'll have to let the other oni hunters know about this place."

Kurogane had calmed and stopped attempting to decapitate Fai, so I sat myself at the bar. I swiveled on my chair to face Yuzuriha and Shiyu. "How did you know about us? You mentioned our names stood out?" Kurogane flinched from his position leaning against the counter.

"Oh, all new oni hunters are posted," Yuzuriha said.

"Posted where?" We'd only been here a little over twenty-four hours. The fact she knew about us and could pick us out after that short a time was very suspicious. She would need some serious resources, and motivation, to look for us specifically.

Yuzuriha waved a hand. "Around. Usually at the bars, or clubs specifically for oni hunters. Oh, thank you," she said as Sakura handed her a teacup and saucer. "You guys must be really new, if you don't know that."

Sakura nodded. "We arrived just yesterday."

"Awesome! And you already have partners." Her eyes flicked over Kurogane, Syaoran, and I, confusion crossing her expression. "But I thought you could only form groups of two. Is there a new trio option?"

I shook my head. "I have a temporary license. I was just out with them tonight to get the hang of things."

Her eyes lit up. "So you're looking for a partner. There are some clubs a few blocks away from here that are good for meeting other oni hunters. You could try there."

"Hmm." I wasn't looking forward to finding a partner. I had to do it, so letting myself get put off by it was ridiculous. But finding someone was getting more complicated than I'd expected. What was I supposed to do at these places? Walk in and announce to everyone I was looking for a partner?

I grimaced. "There's no way to be a solo oni hunter?" I asked Yuzuriha.

She gave me a sympathetic smile. "Nope. City hall is pretty serious about the oni hunter's safety. Most oni are manageable, but every once in a while, a really strong on shows up."

"Say," Fai said, "how often do oni attack homes and businesses? We had one visit us last night and it was a bit of a mess. The woman at city hall mentioned a ranking system. Would you mind explaining it to us?"

"Sure thing," she said. "In descending strength, there are seven ranks: I, Ro, Ha, Ni, Ho, He, and To. And within each of those ranks run a scale of decreasing power from one to five."

"So I-1 would be the strongest?" Syaoran asked.

"Exactly," she said. "Every oni hunter's dream is to defeat an I-1."

Fai propped his hands on his hips. "So the Ha-5 we defeated was a little above average."

Shiyu set down his fork with a frown. "That's strange. Usually only rank Ro and higher attack houses."

Something about this didn't feel right. Mostly Shiyu's comment, but I wasn't sure why. A ranking system made sense, I supposed, but between that and the comment Emma made about Outo keeping track of all oni, it just seemed off.

The dog had been pacing beneath the counter by its masters when it stopped, fur ruffling along its back. It sniffed the air and sat down, its nose pointed to the café doors. Yuzuriha and Shiyu looked at it and jumped to their feet. "Some oni appeared nearby."

"It can smell them?" I asked.

"Yep," Yuzuriha patted the dog on the head. "She's an amazing tracker."

"Thank you for the cake," Shiyu told Fai. "What do we owe you?"

Fai waved a hand. "It's on the house if you promise to tell everyone about us."

Shiyu nodded. "We'll be sure to get you some business then."

As they left the shop Yuzuriha spun to wave a cheerful goodbye. "See you guys later!" Then they were gone.

Fai leaned against the counter. "Looks like we might have a couple of regulars, huh, Big Puppy?"

There was a hiss as Kurogane drew his sword. I took in the look on Kurogane's face, and decided, posturing or not, to silently left the bar.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The café was empty and dark now, the moonlight shining on the bar. I sat at the counter, loading my magazines. I was alone in the store front. Fai had vanished into the kitchen, I didn't know where Kurogane had wandered to, and Sakura had gone to find Syaoran.

I had just slid the last round into the magazine, when a sound caught between a snap and the ringing of a bell echoed through the whole building.

I fumbled the magazine, caught it, and slid it back into my gun. The ringing was fading away as I slide off my chair and crept toward the stairs, where the sound had come from.

Gun up, I ended up in the back rooms. I met Fai and Kurogane in the hall and lowered my weapon. "What was that?"

Fai actually looked solemn as he waved us away from the doorway to Syaoran's room. "Nothing to be concerned about."

I frowned, holding my ground as he moved to step past me. "Tell me what that was, or I'll go find out myself." I didn't want to leave anything unknown here. This world was too strange, and without The System, I refused to let this go. If it came from inside the house I was going to sleep in, I wanted to know what that sound was.

Fai sighed, gesturing to the shop front. "I'll explain over here."

We left the hall and rounded the corner before Fai stopped and glanced back. "I believe what we heard was Sakura and Syaoran's price activating."

I frowned. Syaoran had already paid, hadn't he? Sakura's memories of him were gone.

Kurogane crossed his arms. "I thought the price was already paid?"

"It is," Fai said, "but it leaves gaps in Sakura's memory where she should remember Syaoran. I'd imagine that those memories seem. . . warped. If she's noticed the pattern, she could figure out Syaoran should be there."

That hadn't occurred to me. It would be easy to tell Sakura about Syaoran then, and even if she couldn't see Syaoran in her memories, she could _know_ he was there.

Fai continued. "But doing that would negate the price paid. And a price paid cannot be reclaimed. So if she does figure that out, which I believe she just did, she'll fall asleep and forget again."

"So what was that sound?" I asked.

"An effect of the spell, most likely."

That was a terrible, and unfair price. Sakura hadn't even agreed to the terms. I'd witnessed it, she'd been asleep. Syaoran made the best decision for the situation; it wasn't his fault. But it wasn't just Sakura's stolen memories. She had a lifelong medical condition now. Anytime she figured the price out, which would happen if Syaoran stayed with her, she would fall asleep. She could be swimming, at the stove, in a dangerous part of town. This would threaten her for her entire life.

But I was surprise it hadn't happened more often. She'd been with Syaoran for a while know, and had probably tried finding something from her few memories to ground her in her strange new environment. She must have considered Syaoran to be the missing piece in her memories. He was far too obvious in his affection. So maybe Sakura had subconsciously steered herself away from those thoughts as long as possible, some part of her sensing the danger.

I looked up to see Fai and Kurogane giving me a strange look before glancing at each other. "What?" I asked.

Fai's odd look vanished beneath a smile. "Oh, nothing. Will you be going back out tonight?"

"No," I said, turning away. "I'm going to bed." I didn't feel like dealing with more monsters tonight, and I'd done enough for one day.

0000000000000

When I woke, I was surprised to feel a beam of light burning into my eyes. I blinked away sleep as I rose, squinting at the window. I didn't usually sleep in. And I didn't usually fall asleep as quickly as I had last night, or sleep without dreaming.

After shaking off the last wisps of drowsiness, I got dressed and went down stairs. Fai paused in cleaning the counter to wave. "Good morning Alice-san."

"Morning. What time is it?"

"About nine o'clock," he said.

I winced. How had I slept in so late?

"Here," Fai said. "It's a drink that popular here. Most people drink it in the morning." He poured a steaming brown liquid into a mug. "I followed the instructions in the book, but when I tried it, it seemed too bitter."

I picked it up and took a sniff. "Coffee?" I took a sip. It was coffee, and I was relieved enough to see it that I didn't mind it was black. None of the worlds we'd visited so far had coffee, and I hadn't realized I missed the drink.

"Oh, you know it?" Fai asked.

"Yeah, I had at least a cup most days. Back in my world."

"Well, how is it? I'd like to sell it here."

"It's good," I took another sip. "It should be bitter. Some people will want cream and sugar with it. Otherwise its fine."

Sakura thundered down the stairs, adjusted her headband as she descended. "G-good morning."

She came to a stop next to me. "Sorry I slept in."

Fai waved away her worry. "That's all right. If you're still feeling tired you could try this." He turned away to pour another mug of coffee. "It's supposed to wake you up. Alice-san says it's good."

Sakura took a sip, but a second later her mouth twisted into a grimace.

"You may want to add some sugar," I said. "I don't like it black either." I turned to Fai. "Where are Syaoran and Kurogane?"

Fai gave me an apologetic shrug. "They left to get the money for the oni hunting you did last night and to get some intel."

I could try to catch up with them at city hall, but it might be a better use of my time to find a partner today. I only had six days left, and I didn't think finding someone I could work with would be easy. Even the idea of wandering into one of the Oni hunter cafés or bars and trying to find a partner among strangers was . . . distressing.

I finished off the mug of coffee in one big gulp. "Thanks," I told Fai before heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" Sakura asked.

"To find a partner."

"Please wait a moment," Sakura said as I opened the door. I turned to her as she crossed the room. She stopped in front of me, her hands twisting in her skirt. "I'd like to talk to you for a moment, please."

I wasn't sure what she wanted from me. The only substantial interaction we'd ever had was during our search of the castle in Jade. Even then, I didn't think there was anything to talk about. "Okay," I said, closing the door and giving her my attention.

She took a deep breath. "I want to . . . Syaoran-kun is trying to get my memories back, and I feel useless. I don't remember much of the last few worlds. Just fragments of time. But I remember the danger. I want to help, but if I'm going to I need to learn how."

I crossed my arms. "What, specifically, are you requesting?"

"Please," she scrunched her eyes shut and bowed, "teach me how to fight."

I uncrossed my arms and ran a hand through my hair. When Sakura rose, she stared at me with hopeful eyes. My first instinct was to tell her no. She had no experience fighting, due to her loss of memories or otherwise. But Nathaniel had told me teaching someone was the best way to learn something, and with The System gone, I was going to have to relearn many of my techniques. If I agreed, Sakura could fill the space of Oni hunting partner and student. "Let me think about it. I'll give you an answer tonight."

Sakura smiled. It was warm, but her nervousness made it a little wobbly. "Okay."

"Alice-san," Fai said, "if you have the time, would you mind helping us get ready for opening tonight?"

I didn't have anything else that needed to get done right now. The Oni wouldn't be out until dark, and I didn't want to go interview strangers looking for a partner if there was a chance of Sakura fitting the role. I nodded. "What should I do?"

Fai plucked a slip of paper of the counter. "Would you mind going with Sakura-chan to pick up these things from the store?"

"I can do that." He handed me a money card, and a pen and paper. Because we couldn't read each other's writing, he recited what he needed while I wrote it down. "Where is the store?" I asked when he was finished. Fai showed me the map, circling the store and our café.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked Sakura.

"Yes," she scanned the floor, "just let me find my sandals."

Sakura and I left for the store a minute later. The store was close, but we had to cross a busy street full of honking cars before we got there. It was a smaller shop, set into a brick building with a glass storefront.

The moment I opened the door, I realized I was going grocery shopping. The strangeness of what should have been a mundane task was almost funny.

As the shop door swung open, a bell hung on the door jingled. Inside people pursued shelves of colorful boxes and cans. I realized I couldn't read the signs and didn't know how the aisles were organized. I turned to Sakura. "Do you have any idea where this stuff is?"

She shook her head. "Sorry."

"Let's start with the obvious then." Eggs and milk couldn't be too hard to find, but the boxed and bagged items could be a pain. A woman walked by with a basket of groceries on her arm, and seeing a stack of other baskets by the door, I took one for us.

"Are stores like this in your world?" Sakura asked as we reached the refrigerated area.

I shrugged. "Bigger, I think." I'd been pretty little that last time I'd been in one, so my memory would be skewed. I paused at the shelf of egg cartons, luckily as obvious as I'd hoped. But why were there so many different kinds? They were just eggs. What was the difference? I checked the list for more information, but I'd only written down "five cartons of eggs." I sighed and took five of the most basic looking cartons.

"Milk next, right?" Sakura asked. She pointed back down the aisle. "I think I saw some over there."

We continued to wander through the store, picking up what we recognized and asking an employee for what we didn't. At one point, I'd nearly activated The System to try to weight a sack of flour, but caught myself.

"Any idea which of these is twenty pounds?" I asked Sakura.

She glanced over the different sized bags, then pointed to the largest. "That one, I'm pretty sure."

I nodded and left to get a cart to put them in. I'd have to carry them back to the café, I realized. I could do it, but it'd be annoying.

Sakura had just joined me with the yeast she'd gone to find, when something scratched at the back of my mind. Something was off. I looked past Sakura and around the store, trying to place what was wrong.

A couple examined a can of tomatoes down the aisle, a man with brown hair was paying at the register, and a tired looking employee was stocking a display. No one was acting strangely, but I got the distinct feeling something was missing.

"Sakura," I said, "have you been to a place like this before? I feel like something's off."

She blinked before looking around. "I haven't really. I barely remember the market in Koryo, and even that was pretty different. I can't say I see anything weird here."

I nodded. I was probably just letting the new setting and issues with The System put me off. I shoved the feeling away. "I think we have everything. Let's go."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Back at the café, Fai quickly put us to work in the kitchen. He'd found a cookbook that used pictures instead of writing for instructions and colored coded measuring cups to go with it. It seemed the citizens of Outo country spoke a myriad of languages, so things like that weren't too hard to find.

"Alice-san, could you make the coffee please?" Fai asked.

I showed Fai how to brew coffee, which had taken some trial and error due to the older tech of this world. Then for the next few hours, Sakura and I helped Fai prepare to open. I set up the tables with white tablecloths and polished silverware. Sakura helped bake some scones in the kitchen. We ended up having plenty of time due to Fai deciding to open later. Oni hunters were a bit nocturnal here, so opening later would be the best hours for oni hunters to come by.

"Fai-san," Sakura said, turning from a recipe she'd been working on, "could you help me please? I'm not sure about these next instructions."

Fai joined her, leaving me to stare at the kitchen. I'd pretty much guessed how to make the coffee. Nathaniel and I had a kitchen spider that did most of our cooking. I'd rarely made my own cup of coffee.

I decided I could wash dishes. It didn't take any expertise, so I could do it just fine. I rolled up my sleeves. It was a mindless cycle of scrubbing, rinsing, and setting things on the drying rack. Occasionally I picked up the dirty kitchenware Fai and Sakura had finished with.

Everything was fine until I set down the last plate on the drying rack. The moment it touched the rack, the world jumped.

I didn't move, or feel the sensation of it, but the world around me jerked to the right for just a second, the colors washed out, before snapping back into place. When it did, my hand was empty. The plate I'd just cleaned sat on the counter next to the sink, smeared with batter.

For several seconds, I didn't move, trying to rationalize what had happened. I remembered cleaning the dish, the heat of the water and soap. But now it was as if I'd never picked it up.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Fai and Sakura chatting away as they worked. It had to have been The System. It was the only explanation I could think of for what must have been a hallucination. I snatched up the plate, cleaned it again, and set it on the drying rack. This time, it was real.

Quietly, I left the kitchen, escaping Fai and Sakura's notice.

The moonlight shined against the hardwood of the café floor as I crossed it to the counter and sat down. The System must be malfunctioning worse than I'd thought. I rolled my wrists, tilted my head, tapped my fingers against the counter, but everything felt normal.

There must be something wrong with my brain. It had been a hallucination. I didn't know enough about the brain to understand what could be going wrong. Even if I did, there was nothing short of surgery that would fix it.

This could kill me. It was fine now, but it would probably escalate. I _couldn't_ go to a doctor. They would have to know about The System to help me and I couldn't trust anyone with that knowledge. They'd want to use it, or feel like they needed to inform some authority and then people would start snatching away control of my life.

A drop hit the counter, and with a spark of pain I realized I'd bit my lip to the point of bleeding. I wiped away the drop and the blood on my lip. Fear and frustration were useless now. I took a breath and crushed them beneath resolve. If there was the potential that this could kill me, then I needed to make arrangements.

I stepped down from the stool and returned to the kitchen.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

After the sun went down, and Syaoran and Kurogane returned, Fai declared the café prepared. Sakura and I had sat down in the open doorway to rest, our feet hanging off the porch. There was about an hour until we planned to open, so we were taking a break.

"Thank you two for all the hard work," Fai said, offering us two steaming mugs.

Sakura accepted hers with both hands. "Thank you!"

I nodded and accepted mine, slightly disappointed to find tea and not coffee. Fai disappeared back into the café, leaving Sakura and I. She swung her feet and rubbed a thumb across her mug, glancing at me from the corner of her eye. After a while, I sighed, looking back into the café to make sure we had some privacy. Seeing the shop empty, I turned to Sakura. "I'll teach you, but I have some conditions. And a price."

Sakura perked up. "What are they?"

I set down my mug down and clasped my hands together. "I don't think I'd be a good teacher. So if I do this, don't expect me to be perfect. And with The System not working, there are things I'll have to relearn as we go."

"I understand," Sakura said, her gaze flicking to her feet. "I understand it's hard to relearn things you should already know."

I nodded. Of course she would. "And I'll do this if you promise me something." I gripped my hands tighter. "If I die, for any reason, before I find Nathaniel, I want you to find him and keep him safe." I held up a hand when she opened her mouth, giving her a cold look. "It's more complicated than that. There's someone who would want to hurt Nathaniel, likely even if I was dead." Adrian wouldn't let Nathaniel grow up into a potential threat if he had the chance to kill him. "He's strong, and he'll kill whoever he has to. Agreeing to do this would be dangerous. I'd be training you to help yourself, but also protect my brother."

After a moment she met my stare with a determined one of her own. "I'll do it. I may not learn very quickly. It feels like there are so many things I can't do, but I promise to give it my all. And I promise to take care of your brother."

Sakura wasn't the best choice for this. She wasn't experienced, and too naïve. But I knew she was kind. If the worst did happen, Nathaniel would have someone to find him, look after him, and tell him what had happened.

I held out a hand. "Then we'll start tomorrow."

"Right. Thank you so much." She shook my hand, her grip firm.

"Tonight I'll sign you up to be my oni hunting partner. That way we can make some money and get you some real combat practice, but we'll start with the weakest oni, and only after I think you're ready."

"Okay," she said. Her smile had a nervous slant to it, but the light in her eyes said she was excited anyway.

Footsteps in the café behind us had Sakura and I turning to see who it was. Syaoran stood there in a café uniform, adjusting the bowtie. "What do you think?" he asked.

"Let me help you," Sakura said, rising to straighten his tie.

I checked the clock on the wall, seeing it was about time to open. "Where's Fai and Kurogane?"

"They left," Syaoran said.

"What?" I snapped. Fai was the one who'd planned all this. I had no idea how to run a cafe, and Sakura was suffering from serious memory loss, and Syaoran had been gone all day. How were _we_ supposed to run this?

Syaoran gave me a sheepish smile. "They left about twenty minutes ago. Fai seemed to think we'd do fine."

I blinked at the café. "I've never done anything like this before." I'd washed the dishes, but that didn't require keeping customers happy, or managing money.

"I think we can handle it," he said. "It can't be that hard."

A moment after he said that, the door to the café slid open. In sauntered a teenage boy with shaggy hair, a confident grin, and a huge sword on his back. Behind him walked a woman in a long silk dress, her footsteps quiet despite her high heels.

"Hello," the woman said. "Is this The Cat's Eye?"

Customers. Shit.

Sakura stepped past Syaoran and me with a nod. "Welcome." She smiled. "Would you like a table for two?"

"Yes, please."

Sakura guided them to one of the nearest tables. I tried to think of something to do. We were supposed to get their order, but that was probably Sakura's job, right? Before I could come up with something, the boy's gaze fell on Syaoran and his grin widened. "Are you Little Puppy?"

Syoaran blushed. "Y-yes."

The boy set his stance, facing Syaoran. "I'm Ryuuo." He reached up to the hilt of his sword and I flinched, a part of me thinking I must be misunderstanding his intentions. But a bigger, angrier part snarled that of course he was going for his weapon.

"I heard you're pretty strong," Ryuuo said. In the next second he'd unsheathed his sword and swung the blade in a wide arc.

Syaoran leapt back, launching himself up and away as the blade cut through a table and two chairs. Splinters flew across the room, bouncing off my raised arms.

"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura gasped as he landed on the counter, glaring at his assailant.

Ryuuo smirked, his sword leveled at Syaoran. "I guess—"

_**Bang!** _

Smoke trailed from the barrel of my gun as I glared down it at the punk. He froze, his bangs falling back into place from the burst of air.

"Get out," I snarled, "or I'll shoot you in the leg and drag you out." I wasn't sure how far customer service was supposed to go, but if Fai and Kurogane left us in charge, I was drawing the line at destruction of property and assault of staff. I'd spent time and effort setting up that table and cleaning the shop that he'd just destroyed.

His confident smile wavered. "You—"

"I don't want to hear you talk. Get out, now, then ask for forgiveness." He had the advantage. I had a gun, but without The System, if he got close enough I wouldn't be able to defend myself.

He hesitated, glancing from me to Syaoran, to his friend. She gave him an unsympathetic look. When he glanced back to me, still not moving, I marched toward him, my gun aimed for his ankle. I had no intention of getting close enough for him to disarm me, but I wanted to put some pressure on him.

I took two steps before he was skittering towards the door. He was at the door when another figure entered.

"Ryuuo," Shiyu sighed. He looked to me. "What did he do?" Yuzuriha and her dog entered behind him, glowering at the mess.

"Attacked him," I thumbed over my shoulder to Syaoran as he hopped off the counter, "and broke a table and some chairs."

Shiyu gripped Ryuuo by the shoulders and spun him to face me. "If you'd be so nice to give him a second chance, I'm sure he'd be happy to clean up, pay for the damages, and give you an apology."

If it was just Ryuuo, I'd still kick him out. But now his partner, and Shiyu and Yuzuriha, made three customers that might be pissed off. I turned to Syaoran. "What do you think?"

He offered Ryuuo a smile. "I don't mind giving him another chance."

I turned to Ryuuo. "Fine. Leave your sword by the door." I pointed to a closet by the kitchen. "There's a broom in there. Get it. Sweep the floor."

"Yes, ma'am." He shuffled to the closet, his shoulders hunched.

"I'm sorry about him," his partner said. "I'm Souma."

"Al—Rabbit," I said, remembering my newest alias.

"Nice to meet you."

After reseating everyone at the counter, Syaoran and Sakura served the food and drinks. I monitored Ryuuo as he returned from the clostet with the broom and got to work. Every once in a while he'd flash me a nervous look.

"Alice-san," Syaoran said, "I'm not sure how to use this coffee machine. Could you come help?"

"Sure." As I stepped behind the counter, I glanced back to see Ryuuo sweeping the last of the splinters into the dustpan.

"I'll get the coffee if you help Ryuuo get the new table and chairs," I told Syaoran, pulling out the basket from the top of coffee machine.

"All right."

I focused on the food and drinks, letting Sakura and Syaoran handle the conversation. I prepped the food and took away dirty dishes. The few times I tuned into the discussions, the topics were varied. Yuzuriha and Sakura spoke of a new kind of oni that had appeared and was supposed to be very strong. It was good to know that something dangerous might be around, but I intended to kill oni to make money, not for fun. The more money I had, the more bullets I could stock up on. And I intended to buy as many as possible, considering the next world might not have anything compatible with my gun.

Syaoran and Ryuuo's conversation was significantly less interesting. Ryuuo mentioned his desire to fight in order to get strong. It sounded to me like he was bored and wasn't taking this seriously, solidifying my dislike for him.

I scooped the last of the dirty plates off the counter as the oni hunters prepared to leave. I tried to step around the dog laying on the floor, when it shot up, nearly tripping me as I wobbled to regain my balance, once again stopping myself from turning on The System.

Outside, something rattled the windows to the café. All four hunters jumped to their feet. "Oni!" Yuzuriha cried as they all ran for the door. I checked my pocket for my spare magazine and, finding it, followed. If there were oni outside, it wouldn't hurt to make some money, and make sure they didn't damage the shop. Syaoran and I exited the café, him running into the fight and I raising my gun with both hands. When The System was operational, I could afford to shoot one-handed, but not now.

The oni swam through the air, their forms humanoid. But they twisted and lurched in too fluid motions. Their faces were like masks, two simple holes for eyes and a slashed smile.

More gunfire rang out as Yuzuriha wielded a revolver, and Shiyu tore into the oni with silver claws. Souma hurled little crescent-shaped blades that slashed through the oni before returning to her, while Ryuuo swung his sword.

Syaoran kicked aside on dark shape. He was the only unarmed combatant.

I fired on the oni at the edges of the fight, letting the fighters with close range weapons deal with the nearby enemies.

Sakura pulled herself to a stop against the doorway behind me. "Syaoran!"

"Stay inside," I said, firing a shot at a shadow slipping around the ring of fighters. It writhed and faded away.

"But— "

"New condition," I said, keeping my eyes on the fight, "Do as I tell you." She wanted to help. I could understand that. But hurling herself into a fight like this was the opposite of helpful. "If you want to help, make sure nothing gets inside."

It was mostly to keep her busy. The oni seemed fixated on the hunters, but it would be stupid to assume so. She hesitated, her eyes following Syaoran as he spun kicks into the oni. He took out two, but three more closed in around him before he could reset his stance.

I fired, taking out two, and stopped as he recovered and prepared to strike the third.

"Okay," Sakura said, disappearing inside. A moment later a cacophony of bangs and clicks started as she began shutting and locking doors and windows.

"Clear out!" Ryuuo yelled, pointing his sword at an oni larger than the others. Souma and Yuzuriha immediately moved away from the thing.

"Kai-Ryu-Ha!" he hollered, vertically slicing at the oni. He should have been too far away, but as he swung, the blade lit up. An arc of blue and green light flew from the blade, churning in the air before cracking across the oni. The monster pulled apart around the strike, before swirling back into form.

"That's not right," Yuzuriha said. "I-4 oni can't change form!"

Ryuo blinked, surprise holding him in place a second too long. The arm of the oni swung down toward his head. I adjusted my aim, but I wasn't going to be in time.

Syaoran lunged between them, raising the metal flower card in his hand. The blow landed right on the card, cracking it and rattling Syaoran, but the metal held.

As soon as the creature raised its arm, it spun, whipping its arm into Syaoran and Ryuuo, tossing them aside. I fire twice at its head. The oni snapped back but regained its stance and looked at me with the same blank smile. I pulled the trigger, and in the same instant it hurled an arm at me. The limb stretched across the yard, farther than it should have gone. In an instant the inky appendage wrapped around my gun and hands like wire. With a snap, I was wrenched off the porch and hurled into the dirt. I couldn't roll onto my shoulder, but I was able to take some of the impact with my elbows. Both my hands were trapped.

Swinging my legs up under me, I pinned the thing's arm beneath my knee and pointed my gun down at the limb. But the grip had curled around the slide, locking it in place and preventing the gun from firing. I wrestled to get an arm loose, keeping the thing immobilized and pulling my hands up. I still had my knives. If I could get a hand free I could cut myself loose.

Wriggling, I wrenched a hand out of it grip. I scrambled for my knife, barely freeing it before I was jerked from the ground. The knife tumbled away.

The world spun around me in a blur before another impact, on my back this time, knocked the wind out of me. I dragged in a breath and clawed at the cold appendage around my wrist. It tightened around my arm again, and I braced to be thrown again.

There was a snap and suddenly the hold went limp. The oni hissed and hunched over its cut limb, the severed section curled around my arm dissolving away.

Syaoran glared at the oni and held out his free hand to me, my knife in his other. "Are you alright?"

Shiyu stepped up behind the oni. He lunged, slashing through the oni with both claws, and tearing it into inky ribbons.

"Fine," I choked, accepting Syaoran's help up. I'd definitely had the wind knocked out of me, and my back and elbows hurt. I was bruised and scraped, but I felt surprisingly okay. Although that could be the adrenaline. "Thanks."

He nodded, and held out my knife handle first.

I nodded to the oni. "Keep it. You should have a weapon for this."

With the worst of the oni gone, I wracked my slide in case of a jam, and shoot the nearest monster in the face. It staggered back, snarled and dissolved away. The remaining oni fell quickly against everyone's attacks.

As the last creature crumbled into the grass, I sighed and holstered my gun. Rings of red coiled around my hands and wrists: the beginnings of bruises. My shirt was covered in grass stains and mud. I ran a hand through my hair, brushing away blades of grass and dirt. I definitely ached, and my hands and back would bruise, but it wasn't a serious pain. The adrenaline should be wearing off now, so I'd gotten lucky.

Sakura ran out of the café and directly to Syaoran. "Are you okay?" Her hand fluttered over his shoulder and chest, unsure of how to help.

He smiled. "I'm fine. Thank you, princess."

Well, he said that now, but he was probably going to want some ice for his ribs in a minute. I certainly wanted some for my hands.

The oni hunters said their goodbyes and we returned to the café. After locking the door behind us, I went directly to the kitchen freezer. After a quick check of the freezer shelves, I confirmed we didn't have any ice packs. And since there were no plastic bags, I ended up taking a couple of hand towels and wrapping ice in them.

I returned to the shop front where Syaoran sat at one of the tables. Sakura sat next to him, riffling through a first aid kit.

"Here," I said, hefting one of my makeshift ice packs. Syaoran met my eyes as I tossed it to him.

"Thank you," he said, and pressed the ice pack to his side.

I held mine with both hands and sat down at one of the counter stools. "You locked everything up?" I asked Sakura.

She nodded. "Nothing got in."

"You still want me to teach you? After seeing those?" I nodded to the window. This was her first time seeing them. If she was scared, I wanted to know now.

"Yes." He determined gaze hadn't changed at all.

"Teach you?" Syaoran asked, glancing from me to Sakura. He probably wouldn't like this. He was extremely protective of Sakura. I didn't know if that protectiveness would extend to controlling, but even if it didn't, he'd be worried.

Sakura nodded. "I asked Alice-san to train me, and she said yes."

Syaoran's grip tighten on his ice pack as he fought to keep the concern off his face. He was mostly successful, relaxing his shoulders and forcing a calm smile. But the wrinkle between his eyebrows remained. I'd known Syaoran would find out eventually, and that he wouldn't like it. I wasn't sure what I'd expected from him. Anger maybe, if he had the mindset that Sakura was his to defend, and definitely worry. The worry was there, but the anger wasn't, which was a relief.

"That's kind of her," Syaoran said, glancing from Sakura to me, then back to her. He scratched the back of his neck. "But are you sure? I—sorry, it's just . . . you're still not feeling well and . . . "

Sakura seemed to understand his concern and gave him a warm smile. "Alice-san said we'll be careful. I want to help more. I want to be able take care of myself." Her smile faded as her gaze fell to Syaoran's side.

"Syaoran," I said, "I know better than to agree to something I can't handle. I will plan anything we do as if Sakura _will_ pass out. If she doesn't, great, if she does, we'll be ready." I gave Sakura a hard look. "And you _will_ tell me if you feel like you might pass out. If I'm unprepared, we could both get hurt."

"Right," she said.

Syaoran sat back, and the crease between his eyebrows relaxed. That had gone better than I'd expected. Syaoran was still worried, but that was understandable. He cared for her, and no matter what precautions we took, this was going to have some degree of danger.

The front door slid open with a bang, and in stepped Kurogane. He had a seething look on his face, and a beat-up looking Fai over his shoulder. Fai twisted to face us and waved. "We're home."

Kurogane paused, his eyes flicking over Syaoran and me, lingering on the dirt, grass stains, and ice packs. "Seriously? What happened here?"

"Oni." They didn't look great either. Kurogane looked fine, but Fai's clothes were torn and dirty. "What happened to you?"

Kurogane snorted. "Oni." He dropped Fai into one of the chairs next to me. Fai's left shoe was missing and his ankle was swollen. Probably a sprain.

Syaoran rose, taking the first aid kit with him. "Fai-san, I can bind your ankle."

"Ah, thank you Syaoran-kun."

"Where did you go?" I asked.

"A bar," Fai said. I silently amended the level of responsibility I expected from him. "And we brought home gifts!" Fai hobbled from his seat to a package Kurogane left on the couch. He whipped aside the cloth to reveal three sparkling bottles. "I got them at the bar. Who wants to celebrate our opening night?"

Moments later the bottles were popped and glasses poured. Fai slipped everyone a glass, including me, before I could decline. Even Mokona got some.

Elpedite had alcohol, of course, but I'd never had any. The only recreational drug I'd been allowed was caffeine, as it had acceptably low health risks. Even so, I wasn't interested in trying something that would alter my mental state right now. So I set my glass down on the counter and left it there.

No one else seemed to have any reservations. As they drank, Sakura, Fai, and Mokona got progressive louder and happier until they were a mess of giggles. And an occasional _meow_ , of all things. Syaoran seemed to handle it fairly well, but retreated to join Kurogane on the front step of the shop once the drunk trio got too intense.

I'd never actually seen someone drunk, and watching the descent happen in front of me made me even less interested in my own glass.

"Rabbit," Sakura hiccuped, "you should try some, meow." She slumped against the counter next to me, watching me expectantly.

"I'll pass," I said.

"No fun," She said, before bursting into laughter.

I sighed and turned to Fai. "Why did you go to a bar anyway?"

Fai raised his glass and pointed to it.

"Ah," I said, grimacing.

Fai sat back. "There was a singer lady there. She was pretty."

"Meow?" Sakura said, sitting on the floor next to Fai, ready to hear the story. I twisted my stool away from them and rested my elbows on the counter. Behind me the cacophony of meows and laughter continued, occasionally broken up with discussion of the bar and the café.

The ice in my drink clinked, settling. I'd agreed to teach Sakura, but I was realizing I didn't know how to. It had been so long since I'd started training. Most of my memories were fuzzy, fused with surgeries, sparring matches, sleepless nights, and panic over raising my baby brother.

I wanted to draw on those memories, but at the same time, something about that way had been wrong. Not its effectiveness—I learned to fight well and quickly—but the method. There were things I _knew_ were wrong to put a child, or anyone, through, but some things were gray. When she was ready to spar, would landing a real hit on her be wrong? What kind of hits?

I glared at the alcohol and drummed my fingers against the counter. How could I do this, and know it wasn't wrong? There must be a way. This wasn't a question I could use Adrian's logic to solve, because it wasn't the kind of question he'd ever ask.

So what would Nathaniel say?

Nathaniel. I could imagine I was training him in Sakura's place. Whatever I wouldn't do with Nathaniel, I wouldn't do with Sakura. It wouldn't be a perfect solution, but it might give me time to find better standards.

So with that in mind, I'd start with safe and basic stuff. Stances and how to move, basic punches and kicks, then more advanced holds and throws before finally graduating to weapons and oni hunting. Oni hunting might be able to come earlier if Sakura showed enough responsibility. But those decisions could wait.

I sighed, moving my weight off my elbows against the counter.

A crash behind me jolted me out of my thoughts. Syaoran stood over a chair he'd knocked over, a ladle in his hands as he wound up to hit another chair. He stumbled as Kurogane plucked the ladle from his grip. He glared at Syaoran. "You _are_ completely drunk."

Fai, Sakura, and Mokona, who'd all moved to the couch, broke into a chorus of laughter and snorts. Kurogane stomped over to them. "Not another drop, any of you." He snatched the glasses from their hands. "All of you go to bed now!" When his demand was met with meows, he ran a hand down his face.

After several minutes of yelling and the confiscation of several glasses, Kurogane managed to herd the four of them upstairs. A few muffled shouts and the slamming of doors drifted down from the second floor. When Kurogane returned, irritated scowl still in place, his eyes fell on me.

"Figures you'd be the one that can handle alcohol," he said, eyeing my glass.

"I didn't drink any."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Don't like the taste?"

I pointed upstairs. "I'd prefer to avoid becoming a mess." With The System malfunctioning and the weird things happening, I wasn't going to voluntarily lose control of myself.

He snorted. "Doubt you'd be that kind of drunk."

I shrugged and rose, taking my glass and handing it to him.

"So you're going to train the princess?"

Syaoran must have mentioned it to Kurogane when they were drinking. I wasn't sure why Kurogane cared though. "Yeah."

"Why?" his voice sharpened. "Doesn't seem like something you'd do just cause she asked."

"I need practice, and a partner," I said. Both were true, but telling him about the agreement Sakura and I had would lead to more questions.

"So? Why not some other oni hunter from this world?"

I sighed. Apparently more questions were coming anyway. I'd be better to be clear. It wasn't a secret, just a deal that he would probably hear about eventually. Avoiding the question would now would just make Kurogane difficult and suspicious. "I made a deal with her. I'll teach her, and she'll find and take care of Nathaniel in the case I can't."

He was silent for a few moments, his eyes sharp. Kurogane was a warrior—that had been obvious from the beginning—but it was becoming increasingly more obvious that his observation skills were almost as sharp as Adrian's. Between that and Fai's lying smile, I was getting more and more wary of the both of them. "What makes you think that's necessary?"

"The System is broken," I said, "which could lead to complications that can't be fix." I turned away and headed for the door. "I'm going to city hall. I'll be back within an hour." I didn't bother to look back as I shut the door behind me.

Outside the air weighed heavy with humidity, and crickets chirped in the grass. I couldn't really resent Kurogane for asking about Sakura and I; his suspicion was justifiable. But he brought up topics I'd rather not think about. The System was broken, and probably causing damage, but there was nothing I could do beyond preparing for the worst. I'd done that. There had never been any point worry about things I couldn't change. I turned right and set off for city hall.

**AN:** Thanks for reading! Please let me know with a review if you have any theories, or what your thoughts are on Alice teaching Sakura, with a review. A review really makes my day. See you later!


	13. Chapter 13

**AN:** Wow, I think this is a new record for how fast I got this chapter up. I'm really proud of this chapter and was really excited to post it, so thats probably why. I hope you enjoy it! (Posted 10/11/18)

* * *

**Five Year Ago:**

The elevator hummed as we descended. The buzzing white light bled away the little color in the room. I stood rigid, hands clasped behind my back. My collar felt too tight, but I didn't dare move. I glanced up at Adrian.

His back was to me, facing the doors of the elevator. I couldn't quite see his face.

We'd practiced this, relentlessly, for the past three weeks, and Adrian had made it clear that screwing this up would have severe consequences. I just had to say nothing, follow Adrian and show absolutely no emotion.

I'd be fine.

I opened my mouth, and shut it again.

Adrian glanced back at me. "What is it?"

I flexed my hand, very aware of the scars from the surgery running across them. "It's called the Alice System, right?"

"Yes," Adrian said, his voice tinged with impatience. "Get to your point."

"Call me Alice." I didn't feel like myself anymore, and if the whole of my country was going to know me as Alice, I might as well _be_ Alice. Adrian had told me I would need to change, evolve. That might be easier if I left my old name behind.

Adrian smirked and turned away. "All right, Alice. Now be quiet."

Adrian stepped out as the elevator doors opened. I followed close behind him. When we reached the end of the short hallway, Adrian opened the door and searing sunlight streamed in. I didn't squint against the light, keeping my expression neutral and unbothered.

As the door swung open fully, Adrian adopted a beaming smile and raised his arm in greeting. A roar of applause rose as I followed Adrian across the stage. I faced forward, not looking around at the crowd and cameras I knew were there.

Adrian reached the podium and waved down the applause with an amused smile. I took my position two feet behind him and two feet to the side. Once everyone was silent Adrian spoke. "Hello, citizens of Elpedite. Thank you for coming to, and tuning in, to tonight's announcement." He continued on, rambling about the people of Elpedite and the war and other propaganda.

I focused on one point at the back of the crowd, and didn't look away. I couldn't fidget, or blink too often, or breathe too quickly. Standing here, still, was all I had to do, and I'd done it for hours during rehearsal. I listened only for my queue.

"And so to support your family on the front lines, I present the most advanced weapon of our time, Alice!" Adrian swept an arm in my direction.

I took two steps forward, and snapped a salute to the crowd. "Alice, reporting for duty."

And with my heart pounding and cameras flashing, the crowd exploded into applause.

**Present:**

I pounded on the door to Sakura's room. "Sakura, be downstairs in five minutes. Wear something you can run in."

A thud sounded behind the door, followed shortly by a muffled: "O-okay!"

I descended the stairs, wearing my new armor, minus the breastplate. The kitchen was empty. The horizon glowed with the coming sun, giving the hardwood and the glass of the windows a golden glow, and casting long shadows across the floor. In the kitchen, I set about making two cups of coffee. I forced myself to stand still, even though nerves pushed me to pace, as I waited for the kettle to heat. It was stupid to be nervous about this. It would be easy after all. Well not easy, I'd never taught someone before, but it would be _simpler_ than most things I'd done. There would be little risk of death or serious injury. Likely, the worst that could happen would be an inability for me to teach, or an inability for Sakura to learn. If that happened, we'd call the whole thing off, or figure out a way to make it work. The consequences were so insignificant; I couldn't understand why I felt so on edge.

When Sakura entered the kitchen, wearing a folded shirt tucked into tie-up pants, I held out a mug of coffee to her. "You're going to want the energy."

Sakura accepted the cup with both hands. "Thank you."

We finished our coffee quickly and I led Sakura outside. When we stood on the grass of the yard, I stopped and faced her. "We're going to start jogging. Keep up with me, and if I stop to do any exercises, do what I do and as many as I do. Tell me if you need a break because you might pass out. Otherwise, push yourself."

She balled her fists and nodded. "I can do it."

"Good. Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth." I turned, and jogged around the side the house, Sakura footsteps thudding behind me. I knew Sakura would need to build up some muscle. Anything she'd had before the journey had been stolen by her coma. To get her in shape, and keep myself there, this would be our morning routine for our stay here.

I'd looked up a route on Syaoran's map the night before. It would take us through some of the smaller streets to a park, where we could go over martial arts techniques. I'd thought about using the café after hours by clearing the tables and chairs, then setting up a mat. But that took money we didn't have right now, and the park had grass and an open space, so it would do.

Our run went well. Sakura had a hard time keeping up—I could tell from her heavy breath and shaking hands—but she did it. When I stopped to do push-ups or crunches, she followed my lead immediately and without complaint.

The park was mostly empty when we arrived, with only a few people on benches or by the fountain in the center. I slowed to a jog, then a fast walk as we neared an open patch of grass.

I turned to Sakura and pointed to a drinking fountain. "Go get some water, then we'll work on some basics."

"Okay," she panted.

As she walked away, wiping sweat from her eyes, I remembered she was a princess. Not that I'd really forgotten, but she didn't really act like one. She didn't try to control the people around her, and she hadn't treated anyone with disdain.

Did I want her watching over Nathaniel? She was a decent person now, but would that change as her memories returned to her? Although, she'd already retrieved a few memories and hadn't gotten colder. And Syaoran seemed grounded. He probably wouldn't like her if she was cruel before she lost her memories. She could be pretending, but I'd spent enough time with Adrian I was fairly certain I could tell when someone was lying, and I didn't think Sakura was.

As she returned, she caught my eye and smiled. I couldn't imagine her with the cold look Adrian wore.

"Okay," I said when she reached me, mentally resetting myself, "you're a princess. So it's likely you've had some training already. We'll see as we go if you've retained any muscle memory, but for now we'll start simple. Which foot is your dominant one?"

She blinked and stared down at her own feet. "I don't know. Is there a way to tell?"

"Yeah," I said and pointed over her shoulder. "See that tree?"

She turned to look. "Yes. What abou—!"

I shoved her between the shoulder blades. Her right foot shot out first to catch her.

"Your right foot's dominant," I said.

Understanding lit behind her eyes. "Oh, I see."

I set my stance, my hands up, hips and shoulders squared, and my left leg forward. "This is the stance we'll be using. Because your right leg is dominant it will be in back, where it will give you most of your power and balance."

As I spoke, Sakura carefully looked me over, then mirrored my stance.

"Stay there," I said as I dropped my stance and approached. "Your hands are in a good spot. Unless you're blocking a strike, always keep them there. Raise your back ankle off the ground a few inches. That way you can push off faster."

Sakura made the proper adjustments as I pointed them out. There was so much to go over, I was having trouble deciding what to prioritize. Trying to tell her everything right now would overwhelm her, and she'd learn nothing. So I stuck to the very basics.

"Okay," I said once I was satisfied with her position. "We'll start a simple exercise. I'm going to move, and you'll follow me, while holding your stance. Like this." I showed her how to step forward with her front leg first, while pushing off with her back. Then the same in reverse.

I faced her. "Keep me within arm's reach." I stepped back.

A half second later, she followed me with an exaggerated step, but the order she moved her feet was correct. "Good."

I continued to move forward, back and to the side, changing the pacing as I went. After she'd gotten a better feel for it, she was keeping step with me. She flashed me a grin. Not wanting to encourage the idea this should be _fun_ , I didn't return it. Her smile dimmed, and we continued.

"We'll move onto a few drills. You should practice these when you have time until they're instinctual. You can ask me or someone else to help, if you like, or do it on your own."

Sakura hesitated, then relaxed. "I understand."

I set myself next to her, facing the same direction. "We'll start with a jab and cross. These are punches, but they start with your feet and hips. Breathe in beforehand, and hiss your breath out with the punch."

I showed her how to throw a jab, starting with a slight push of the back leg and a quick movement of the elbow.

She mimicked me, but her wrist was at the wrong angle. "Like this," I said, holding out a straight fist. "Otherwise you might break your hand." I showed her how to deliver the impact with the first two knuckles of her hand. For the cross, I showed her the small twist to my hips and back leg.

"Will I learn any kicks?" she asked once she'd practiced a few rounds.

"Not yet." I crossed my arms. "Kicks are powerful, but if you don't know what you're doing, you'll throw yourself off balance, or give the enemy a chance to break your leg." She winced. "Syaoran can do it because he has good balance, and pulls his leg back before the enemy can grab it. As a general rule, always protect your head and body, but your next priority should be your legs. Without them, you can't run, and you can't fight well."

She shifted her weight as she did a slow jab, watching her own feet as she did so. "I see."

After that, I showed her some elbows, and then we did some very gentle sparring. I mostly wanted to show her the importance of keeping her hands up. A couple of times, she let them drop, and I swatted her cheek, not enough to sting, but enough to let her know she'd made a mistake. By the end, her hands were by her face and didn't waver an inch.

We left the park just as the day was heating up, and made it back to the café. As we entered, Fai groaned, slumped against the bar with a cup of water in his hand. Mokona waved to us from their perch on his head.

"Good morning Alice-san, Sakura-chan! You're such hard workers!"

"Good morning, Mokona-chan," Sakura said. Her eyebrows creased in concern as she examined Fai.

"Hangover?" I asked, skirting passed them and into the kitchen.

Fai moaned and Mokona burst into giggles. "Yep!"

Sakura stuck her head into the kitchen, hesitant to leave Fai. "What's a hangover?"

I snorted as I opened the fridge. "It's a headache you get when you've had too much to drink." I decided he deserved this after leaving Sakura, Syaoran, and me to run the café opening night so he could buy alcohol. "He'll be fine in a few hours. Get a pan for me."

Sakura retrieved a pan and together we made enough scrambled eggs for ourselves, Fai, and Mokona.

"When you're done exercising you should eat something with protein," I said as I scraped the eggs onto four plates. "It helps build muscle."

We returned to the bar with two plates each. I gave one to Mokona, and Sakura gave one to Fai. Mokona opened their mouth and inhaled their serving in one gulp. Fai thanked us, but made no move toward the food. Sakura flashed him a pitying glance. After Sakura and I were almost finished with our plates, Fai raised his head and managed a few bites.

"Could I please ask you both to help me run the café?" His smile became a grimace. "I might be a little slow today."

"Of course," Sakura said.

I gave him a flat look. "So long as you stay here this time."

He rubbed the back of his head and gave me a thumbs-up. "I promise."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

When the first customer came in, I was reminded that I had no clue what I was doing. Sakura and I were the waitresses, while Fai and Mokona managed the bar and kitchen. It should be pretty simple—most of the food and drinks were premade the day before. Sakura had the tables on the left side of the restaurant, and I had the right. When a customer came in and it was my turn, I'd take them to their table, get their order, and bring them their food. Simple. So why did this seem so intimidating?

Sakura took the first customer. There shouldn't be too many. It was our second day open.

"You know, I've never done anything like this before," I said to Fai. I leaned against the bar at my back. Fai stood behind it, his hangover diminished enough that he could function politely, but he was using a cane to take some of the weight off his twisted ankle.

"Me neither," he said watching Sakura work. "I think we're all trying something new today. It's kind of fun, don't you think?"

I snorted. I would not define this as fun.

Maybe I should look at this differently. It was new, and I wasn't good at it, but it was an opportunity. I hadn't given much thought to what would happen after I found Nathaniel, but we would have to settle somewhere, and that meant getting a job. If I practiced some new skills now, it would be easier to find work later.

A woman stepped through our door and glanced around expectantly. I inwardly groaned, despite knowing it was for the best, and pushed off from the bar to greet her.

I managed an empty smile when I got to her, trying to remember what Sakura had done. "Welcome. Please follow me." I turned and led her to a small table by the window. When she'd settled in her chair I took out my note pad. "What do you want?"

Puzzlement flashed across her expression for just a moment, before returning to a polite smile. She looked over the menu for a moment. "I'll have a regular coffee and one of the Witch's Cake."

I scribbled it down. "Okay."

I turned and met Fai's eyes. He gave me a thumbs up. Sighing, I reached the counter and read off the order to him.

"I think you did pretty good," Fai said, pouring the cup of coffee.

I nodded, not believing him, but not caring enough to disagree. He handed me the mug of coffee and a plate with the cake on it. I returned with them to the woman and set them on the table.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome." I retreated to the bar to watch the door. This wasn't terrible. If things stayed like this, I'd be fine. Not good at it, but I wouldn't ruin anything.

For the next few hours, things were okay. At most we only have five customers at a time, and I stayed with my pattern of set greetings, questions, and responses, which seemed adequate for most people.

Then, around four, things began to pick up. Our five customers suddenly became twenty, and the air of relaxation became a clattering of plates and the drone of too many voices. I managed everything fine, handling requests and responsibilities in the order I'd received them, but my focus began to fray.

Two men entered as I was setting down a mug at one of my tables. I went to greet them—counting twenty-two people in the cafe—and guided them to their table. As I seated them, I took out my notepad.

Behind me, a glass shattered against the hardwood. I jumped, glancing back to see Sakura trying to balance a plate stacked with dirty dishes, and glancing anxiously down at the glass shards at her feet. Fai appeared with a broom and dustpan, waving off her apologies.

"Excuse me," one of the men snapped. I turned my attention back to the table to see him glowering at me. "I want the coffee cake and a mocha."

He'd barely closed his mouth when his companion spoke. "Witch's Cake."

I blinked, my mind catching up to their orders. When I went to write it down, I realized I dropped my pen. I bent down to retrieve it, rising faster than necessary. Glancing over my shoulder, I counted twenty people in the room.

I wrote down their order. As I turned to leave, one man slapped his menu against my side. "Take these." Pasting on a blank expression to mask my rising annoyance, I took their menus.

As I approached the bar, something moved in the corner of my vision. A woman on my left was walking towards me. I watched her approach, unwilling to turn away, until she moved to step around me and towards the exit.

Three more people entered as she left.

"Alice-san?" Fai asked.

My attention snapped back to the bar, where I'd been standing for several seconds. "Uh, yeah. A coffee cake, a mocha, and a Witch's Cake."

He didn't move to get the food. "Is everything all right? We're getting busy, so if you need help just ask."

"I'm fine." I held my voice flat.

He nodded, and moved to get the order. I turned to put my back to the bar, and watched a man walk to his table, my hands itching as he passed me.

"Here you are," Fai said, handing me a tray with the food.

I took it in one hand and weaved between the tables. Someone tapped on my arm as I passed and I nearly dropped the tray.

"Miss, can you get me a fork?"

"Yes," I said, pulling my gaze away from them and gritting my teeth.

I reached the table and set down the plates, my hand shaking as I did so, causing the glass to clatter against the wood.

"Excuse me," one of the men said.

"What?" I asked, keeping any sharpness from my voice with effort.

"You gave us the wrong plates."

"So switch them," I said, turning away. I wasn't sure what the problem was, but they had their food, so I wasn't dealing with it.

I handed Fai my tray and took a fork from the rack on the counter. When I looked up, I counted twenty-five people in the room. One man was moving toward the door. Two women were being seated by Sakura. Another man waited at the entrance for me to show him to his table.

Once again entering the maze of tables, I dropped off the fork with the party that had requested it. Someone stood up next to me and I jolted away from them, ignoring the look they shot me and moving onward.

I reached the man and gave him a sharp nod. "Follow me."

He did, seemingly unbothered by my abruptness, and took his seat without issue. After taking his order, I made my return to the bar.

I was almost there when a woman sitting at the table next to me moved her hand too fast. It would've been fine, except the first thing I registered was the flash of silver in her hand.

The last shred of my control kept me from hitting her, but I ended up frozen in place with my hands locked into fists. The woman gave me a confused look as she set down her fork. My legs refused to move forward, even though I needed to get out of this room, and I knew if someone touched me, I was going to lose my last fragment of reason and punch them.

"Alice-san," Fai said, appearing at my side, his brow furrowed. His hand hovered over my elbow before I shot him a glare. He hesitated, then wiped away the look of concern with a smile, retracted his hand, and stepped between me and the table. "Would you mind helping in the back for a moment?"

I took a deep breath, and nodded. I couldn't see the woman anymore, and the new request helped me move my attention away from the situation. My legs unstuck, and I moved passed him, eyes locked on the kitchen door. I made it, and shoved the door open, trying to diffuse some of the energy locked into me with the motion.

When the door closed behind me, and the clatter and drone of voices from the other room died, some of the fire left my blood. I took a breath in, and let it out in a shuddering sigh.

The door opened and Fai entered, a mug in his hand. "Coffee?"

I nodded, and he handed me the mug, not stepping any closer than necessary. I took a gulp, burning my tongue, but the coffee grounded me.

"Are you all right?" he asked after a moment.

I finished the mug and set it in the sink, my hand shaking. "I should work in the back from now on. I'll wash dishes."

He tilted his head. "That's fine. You don't have to keep working though, if you're not feeling well."

"I want to." There had been too many people in the other room; too many sounds and half-seen movements. I would be fine back here, where I could wash dishes and still be useful, because standing around doing nothing would make this feeling worse.

I didn't want to work in the café. But I still hated that I couldn't do something as simple as serving tables in a tiny café. It proved Adrian right. I wasn't good for noncombat work, and I never would be, because I couldn't stand to be in a room of people longer than a few minutes. I would never get the practice necessary to learn.

Fai hadn't moved to leave. Maybe he was waiting for me to change my mind.

"You should go back out front," I said. "Sakura will need a hand." I turned away from him towards the sink.

"All right," he said, his smile returning. "Thank you for getting the dishes. We were starting to run low." I heard the door open briefly, letting in a wave of noise before it swung shut behind him.

Once the water was steaming, I grabbed the soap and a plate smeared with frosting and got to work.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The rush hour died away a few hours ago, and I'd run out of dishes to wash. Which meant spending any more time back here would be hiding. I dried my wrinkled hands on the towel before returning to the shop front. It was black outside, the sun having set while I'd been away. The only people in the café were Fai, Sakura, and Mokona. They all looked at me expectantly as I entered.

"Dishes are done," I supplied.

"Thank you, Alice-san." Fai said.

I sat at the bar next to Sakura. "I'm sorry I bailed on you." It was awkward, but I felt I owed her an apology.

She waved her hands. "Don't worry! I just hope you're feeling better."

"I am." I didn't feel like I needed to punch anyone, but I'd exchanged that feeling for a sort of resigned exhaustion.

The door slid open, and Syaoran stepped in. He walked with a slight limp on his right leg. Scrapes covered his face and hands and his clothes were in tatters. He held a new sword at his side, a rope tied around the scabbard and hilt keeping it sheathed. "Hello," he said with a smile.

"Syaoran!" Sakura exclaimed, her hands flying to cover her mouth.

Fai's eyes widened. "Did you get attacked by an oni?"

"No," Syaoran said, "it was just a good day of training." He pointed upstairs. "I'll be back. I need to change."

Kurogane silently entered a moment later, taking a seat at the bar and propping a new sword against the counter.

 _Speaking of training_. I turned to Sakura. "Would you like to train some more? In about an hour?"

The fatigue cleared from Sakura's eyes immediately. "What will we work on?"

"More movement practice," I said. "And some blocks."

Sakura nodded. "Okay."

Fai leaned over the counter and handed Sakura a small jar. She blinked from it to him. "That's a healing salve. Could you take that to Syaoran-kun?"

She clutched it with both hands, nodded vigorously, and vanished upstairs. Fai left to the kitchen, returning with a tray of three steaming bowls of noodles. He set two of them in front of Kurogane and me.

"Thanks," I said.

Fai leaned against the counter, propping his head in his hands and giving us a sly smile. "So, how were your first days as teachers?"

Kurogane glared at Fai, his mouth full.

"Fine," I said. It occurred to me that Kurogane might have some experience teaching. It would be smart to ask him about how to teach Sakura . . . if I could figure out what to ask. Maybe I should start with a broad subject. "So, what are you starting with to teach Syaoran?"

"Kid's gonna need to work on his balance. He's too sensitive on his blind side."

"He has a new sword. Have you started on sword work?"

He snorted. "No. It'll be a while before he can use that."

This was kind of useful, but not really what I needed. I should just say it. "I don't have experience teaching. Any advice?"

He paused eating long enough to glance at me. "Your style is pretty different than mine. You should probably think about how you were taught."

Of course his advice would be the exact opposite of what I was trying to do. I felt like slamming my head against the counter. "Oh," I said instead.

About an hour later, Sakura appeared before me. She'd changed from her uniform back into workout clothes. "Ready!"

I rolled up the sleeves of my work shirt. "We'll work in the backyard." I'd prefer we work inside where the lighting was better, but the hardwood wasn't safe terrain. Instead Sakura and I slid open the doors that faced the backyard, letting as much light out as possible.

We started with the simple movement exercise again, then on to some basic defense. Sakura caught onto those quickly, blocking my mock strikes with the blade of her arm with enough force to rattle her opponent's bones.

I decided I should show her some emergency tactics for when the enemy was too close. When I demonstrated how to clap your hands onto someone's ears, bursting their eardrums, and then gouge their eyes, Sakura hesitated to copy the motion. It was a basic technique, so I didn't think I was introducing it too early.

"What is it?" I asked.

Her mouth twisted. "It's silly, but it just seems so violent."

Ah. Well, I should lay this out, then. "It is. And it's going to get worse. After this we're going to move onto knives, then guns. You asked me to teach you how to fight, and I'm going to. But a fight isn't a little brawl both parties walk away from. That's a game."

Sakura broke her gaze from mine, staring at her feet. She needed to understand that every fight was a fight for your life. The reason I had been so irritated with Ryuuo was because he'd treated a fight like a game. The decision between firing a warning shot, and just shooting him, had been a close one. Anytime someone came at you with violence, you had to assume they wanted to kill you and act accordingly.

I crossed my arms. "I'm going to teach you how to hurt the enemy until they can't hurt you. Which means punching, stabbing, breaking bones, and yes, gouging eyes. If someone wants to kill you, you kill them first. You don't have time to care about them if you're protecting yourself, or someone else."

Something lit behind her eyes at that last part and she glanced back at the café, where Syaoran sat at the counter talking to Kurogane, his injured ankle bandaged.

I sighed. "Regardless, it will be your choice whether you use what I teach you. I won't force you to pull the trigger. But you may have to choose between the person you're fighting and the person you're protecting."

She met my eyes, and stared straight into me. "Have you had to?"

"Yeah," I said, looking her in the eyes. "I've pulled the trigger every time."

She frowned, the same way Nathaniel did when he was trying to decide what I purposely _hadn't_ said. Then she shook it away. "I understand." She shifted her feet, and clapped her hands together at head height, the move I'd demonstrated to burst eardrums. "Like that?"

I nodded. "That's right." I didn't know exactly what Sakura had decided, but she'd must have found some compromise within herself. And I hoped I'd done well explaining it to her. I was trying to balance myself, between stressing the seriousness of this and letting her make her own choices. I'd probably skewed something, though. I shook away the thought and refocused. She'd found some way to resolve what I'd told her. I'd have to leave it at that.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A while later, after Sakura had collapsed into bed, I descended the stairs in full gear. Kurogane sat at the bar, shooing Mokona away from his tea. When I entered the room, he paused to looked me over. "You going hunting?"

I checked my spare magazine and slid it into my pocket. "Yes."

"Don't you need you partner for that?"

"They told me I needed a partner. They didn't say I had to bring her."

Kurogane snorted. "Guess that's one way of doing it." As I passed him, he swiveled on his stool. "Hey, avoid Baker Street. Heard there some strange oni there."

"Where is that?" I couldn't read the street signs.

"It's by the—no you didn't go there." He grimaced, likely trying to come up with some landmark.

A white blur leapt onto my shoulder, knocking me off balance for a moment. "Mokona knows! Alice-san can partner with Mokona!"

"There you go," Kurogane said, turning away. "You get a guide; I lose the pest."

I raised an eyebrow at Mokona. "You're not afraid of the oni?"

Mokona pushed back their ears and straightened. "Mokona doesn't fear anything."

I doubted that, but decided having them along would be fine, especially if they knew which street to avoid. We left the café and headed west, toward the areas with weaker oni.

As we passed beneath a street lamp, Mokona started softly singing. "Goin' on an oni hunt. We're gonna catch a big one." I considered trying the same alley as the other night, but decided the creatures that had been there last night would overwhelm me if I went alone.

At the start of our journey, there were people all round us. A couple lounging on a bench, a bicyclist passing us, a group of laughing teenagers running into a restaurant. But after a few darkened store fronts, and a turn down a dark alley, everyone vanished.

"Creepy," Mokona whispered, a laugh still in their voice.

"Uh-huh," I muttered, pulling my gun from its holster. "How far is Baker street from here?"

Mokona pointed north. "A few blocks that way."

My boots splashed through a puddle as I turned south. The moon hung full in a clear sky, its silver light shining off the puddles that dotted the way. As I approached, something rippled in one of them.

I aimed my gun as something slunk out of the water. Four paws dripped out of the shape, and when it stood, fully formed, a ragged wolf with three lantern eyes and a crooked maw stared at me. It growled, crouching.

_**Bang!** _

I shot it in the third eye. It whimpered, flinching away as it disintegrated into shadows. Two more wolves slunk out of the corners of the street.

Mokona muttered something like, "Bad doggies."

Although these oni looked intimidating, they were much slower, and took fewer shots to bring down than the ones from last night. The only time I really broke from a walk was when one of them appeared out of a puddle beneath me. Even then, a quick step, a kick, and another shot was the easy fix.

I'd counted fifteen slain oni when there was a pause. I took the opportunity to reload my gun. As I was looking down to slide the magazine into place, something moved to block the moonlight.

"Uh-oh," Mokona said, cheer gone.

A hulking figure blocked the alley and stood around ten feet tall. It had the shape of a dog, but sharpened antlers stretched from it head, and its jaws were split vertically and horizontally. Three yellow eyes rolled to meet mine.

"Yeah," I breathed, already backtracking. Only weak oni should be here, but my trust of that rule had already been shaky. It was time to go. I fired one shot into the oni's front leg and ran. The wolf yelped, but a moment later heavy footfalls thundered behind me. Mokona crouched low, gripping my collar. Water splashed up around me as I blazed through a puddle.

"Is it gaining?" I asked Mokona. If I could use The System, it could calculate the distance based on the sound. But now I didn't know if I could risk looking back.

"Yes!"

We were approaching an intersection in the streets, and as we neared the corner I ran straight for it. As soon as I made the corner, I saw a wall of wolves waiting for me and skidded to stop. My leg slid out from under me, kicking up an arc of water as I scrambled back to my feet. Firing a few shots at the pack, I turned and ran. A howl and the patter of smaller paws let me know the pack was in pursuit too.

"We're going north!" Mokona cried.

"I know!" We'd have to go north, or towards the oni behind us. I just had to take the chance.

As I approached the next intersection, I slowed. When I got a clear view of the next street, another pack waited for me.

I swerved away, picking up my pace again. This seemed strangely organized. Could the oni plan? These were wolves, so maybe they had a pack mentality. If they were, they were driving me towards something. And we were running towards Baker street.

I searched for a fire escape, a dumpster, anything I could use to get up off the street and onto a rooftop. And then I spotted a drain pipe.

Using my momentum, I hooked a hand around the pipe and swung myself up, using both hands and feet to clamber up the wall. When I was moments away from reaching the roof, the pipe broke, a jagged edge slicing into my palm. I hissed, lunging to grip the intact section of pipe as canines snapped in the air next to my ankle.

I threw myself over the rim and rolled onto the shingles.

"Safe!" Mokona cheered.

"Not yet," I said, pushing myself up and back into a run. I headed south, back the way we'd come. The smaller wolves wouldn't be able to get up here, but the bigger, warped one stood nearly a story tall and could probably jump up here easily.

Just as I had the thought, a thud rattled the roof. A glance back revealed the creature straightening from a crouch, growling as it lunged for me. Its claws tore shingles away from the roof and sent them flying behind it.

I glanced right, seeing the wolf pack following us down in the street, and on the left a deserted street with benches and lamps.

But something caught my eye. I looked farther, across the street, to the power lines.

A figure, draped in a cloak, balanced on one of the utility poles. They stood motionless, except for the snap of their cloak in the wind. Shadows concealed their face, but they were looking in my direction.

My attention snapped back to the wolf, now inches from me, as I heard its panting breaths right in my ear. I would have considered jumping from this height without The System, but it was the only option left. I leapt from the roof, and Mokona gasped.

I landed, rolling to lessen the impact, and folding an arm around Mokona to cushion them and hold them in place. A spark of pain lit in my knee, but my momentum carried me back onto my feet, and I was running again.

Pausing for just a moment, I turned, shot the wolf as it landed. I aimed for the eyes. It flinched but my bullets ricocheted off without leaving a scratch. It was already moving toward me again and I ran.

"Damn it!" I snarled. If I had The System, I might be able to take this thing. I'd be faster, more precise, and able to maneuver around its predictable movements. But right now my legs were aching, my knee was burning, and I was slowing down.

I approached an intersection and decided I might be able to lose this thing if I weaved through the streets. I turned the corner as fast as I could, and registered Ryuuo's shocked expression a second before I collided with him.

Pain burst across my cheek as I bounced off him and onto the pavement. With a yelp, Ryuuo fell onto his back. He pushed himself into a sitting position and rubbed his reddening forehead.

"Rabbit?" he said, staring at me with apprehension.

Souma stared down at us in surprise. "Are you al—"

I scrambled to my feet and hauled Ryuuo with me. "Up!" Aiming my gun the way I'd come, I stepped back just as the wolf skidded around the corner.

"Oh! All right!" Ryuuo said, his confusion turning into excitement. He reached for his sword as Souma drew her blades.

I fired into the oni's eyes before it could move our way. It shook the bullets away like they were flies before growling at us.

"Huh," Ryuuo said, sounding more surprised than concerned, "that's weird."

"Yeah," I snapped. "Can we fight this thing or do we need to run?"

Ryuuo hefted his blade. "We got this." He swung it downward with a shout. Bright green light erupted from the blade, spinning across the space between us and striking the wolf across the chest with a bang. The wolf staggered but righted itself and charged, antlers pointed out like knives. I ran to the side, firing at its head and chest.

Ryuuo took a second to register the wolf barreling toward him and ran. My shots burst against the inky fur in little gold flashes, but didn't do much to distract it.

"Hey Souma, a hand?" Ryuuo yelled, running to put a lamppost between himself and the wolf.

Souma stepped silently behind the oni and with a flash hurled her blades at its legs. It staggered and turned on her, snarling. I aimed at its eyes and fired.

This time, _finally_ , the shot hit with a burst of inky blood. The wolf yelped and pawed at its missing eye.

"Good shot!" Mokona said, patting my cheek.

The wolf's remaining two eyes narrowed as they focused on me.

"Back to this then," I muttered, running for a lamppost. But I realized within moments that I didn't have enough distance. I turned my head to catch a glimpse of it swinging a giant paw and threw up and arm to cover the right side of my head, and Mokona, just before the blow struck.

It hurled me across the pavement and I landed on my side, rolling before coming to a stop, and launched myself to my feet, looking around to find the oni.

Ryuuo must have landed another hit on the wolf, as it was stalking circles around him.

"You okay?" I asked Mokona.

"Mokona is all right."

I nodded. "I'm going to throw you," I told Mokona. I plucked them from my shoulder and tossed them up onto the nearest roof.

"Whee!" they cheered. They landed with a bounce and turned to wave at me.

Once they were out of the way, I checked to make sure the wolf was still focused on Ryuuo, then examined my side. The armor had held, to my relief, but there were oily slashes across my ribs, where the claws should have sliced me open, and likely serious bruising beneath.

"Rabbit," Souma said, appearing at my side. "Are you all right?"

I reloaded my gun with a flick of my wrist. "Fine."

The wolf was limping now, its missing eye oozing inky blood. I raised my gun and fired at its face. Souma took that as her cue to get back into the fight and flung her blades at it in silver arcs. Ryuuo, running from the oni, spun on his next step and used the momentum to slash horizontally, sending another arc of green energy at the oni.

When all the attacks struck, the wolf howled and stumbled to the ground. After a breath, it dissolved, pieces of it flaking off like burning paper and floating away.

"Yay!" Mokona exclaimed, clapping. "Great work Rabbit! Ryuuo! Souma!"

Ryuuo grinned and flashed Mokona a thumbs up.

Once I was sure the thing was dead, I stood beneath Mokona's perch and held out a hand. They bounced off the roof and onto my palm, before I set them back on my shoulder.

"Is Rabbit okay?" Mokona asked in a somewhat quieter voice.

"I'm fine." And I was. My knee was aching. So was my side, and there was a bruise was forming on my cheek from my run-in with Ryuuo, but I was in decent shape considering. Souma and Ryuuo sheathed their weapons and joined us.

Souma looked back to check the street. "Rabbit, where's is your partner?"

"Back at the café."

Ryuuo crossed his arms. "You know you have to have a partner, right?"

I glared at his sardonic tone, and he flinched. "I was told I needed a partner. Not that they had to be with me."

"While that's technically true," Souma said, "if you go hunting without your partner, no oni will appear."

"That makes no sense," I said. "Why would an oni care if it attacked me while I was alone or not?"

Souma and Ryuuo shared a puzzled glance. "Well," Souma said, "it's just the way they are." I stared blankly at them. Maybe their confused look was caused by the oni's inexplicable behavior, but I had the feeling it was directed more at my question, which was bizarre. If these monsters were such a problem in this world, should they be interested in understanding them?

"Well, that thing attacked anyway." I thumbed over my shoulder to the spot the wolf had died. "So explain that."

Ryuuo squinted at the spot. "I think that was Ro-3, at least. Where were you hunting?"

I pointed down the street. "An alley a few blocks that way. I was told it was one of the easier sections."

"Did it have a bunch of smaller wolves, showing up slowly?"

"Yes."

Ryuuo's brow creased. "Yeah, that should have been an easy street. Did that thing just show up?"

I nodded. "Any idea why it was there?"

Souma cupped her chin. "Well, there have been reports of oni attacking non-hunters, and rumors of a strange new oni that can control other oni. It's supposed to look like a person. But I'm not sure how reliable the information is."

"Wait," I said, remembering the figure on the power-lines. "I saw someone while I was running. There were watching me from a utility pole."

"Seriously?" Ryuuo said. "Can you show us where?"

"Okay," I said. "But if anything else shows up, I'm running." I didn't _like_ the idea of looking for this thing. But I wanted answers, and the spot wasn't that far away.

After a few minutes of backtracking, we made it to the street, dark and abandoned. The power-lines hung empty. A cool breeze blew my hair into my eyes, and I brushed it away. "This is the place," I said. I glanced up and down the street, but found nothing that hinted someone had been here. "I'm going back to the café."

Ryuuo looked at me in surprise. "Aw come on, aren't you curious?"

I waved an arm across the street. "Do you see any clues?" There was no one here, and no trail to follow. Baker street may have offer something, but I wasn't prepared to go there tonight.

"We'll go with you," Souma said. "I think I could use a nice cup of coffee, after all this."

Ryuuo sighed. "Same."

I shrugged and turned to head back. I didn't really want Ryuuo hanging around, but I owed them after leading a giant oni their way.

Our journey back was quiet. I didn't know what time it was, but I got the impression it was late even by oni hunter standards. The people I'd passed earlier had probably gone to bed now.

I slid the café door open, stepping aside so Ryuuo and Souma could enter behind me. Ryuuo took two steps inside before meeting my gaze and freezing.

"I should leave this here?" he asked, reaching up to grip his sword hilt.

"Correct," I said.

"Come on!" he whined, but set his sword down. "I just helped you kill a giant wolf. That's gotta build some trust."

"No," I said, turning away. I'd trust him after he hadn't done anything else stupid, and we'd left Outo behind.

"A giant wolf, huh?" Fai asked. He stood behind the bar, already pouring a mug of coffee for Souma, who taken her seat. "That sounds exciting." I grimaced.

Mokona leapt from my shoulder and onto the counter. "Rabbit was so cool! And so was Ryuuo and Souma."

Fai raised an eyebrow. "Big Puppy said you were going to an easy zone."

I threw up my hands. "I did!" I was starting to think this world had it out for me, between breaking The System and weird oni chasing me.

"We think the new oni had something to do with it," Souma explained.

"The one that looks like a human?" Fai asked, handing Ryuuo his coffee.

I nodded. "I think I saw it while I was running from the wolf." I frowned, remembering the hooded figure and how still it was as it watched me. "It was gone when I went back to find it, though."

"Ooh," Fai grinned, "mysterious."

Movement caught my eye, and I glanced up to see Kurogane enter the room. His usual expression of mild annoyance broke to astonishment when he set eyes on Souma. The mug he held slid from his hand and shattered on the floor.

"Souma!" he said, marching over to the woman. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be guarding Princess Tomoyo."

Souma stared at him blankly.

I glanced between them before putting it together. Kurogane must have recognized Souma from his world, hence the mentioning of his princess, and this Souma must be a look alike. He looked more troubled than I'd seen him before. Not upset really, but something closer to disturbed.

"Ku—Big Puppy," I said, grimacing as I fumbled the name. His attention didn't break from Souma. " _Big Puppy,"_ I said, sharper. "You've mistaken her for someone else. Like when I thought I recognized Nathaniel."

He blinked at me, glancing once again at Souma before understanding lit his eyes. "Oh." He turned his gaze away from her to glare out the window, his jaw tight.

Fai leaned over the bar to poke Kurogane in the cheek. "Silly Puppy!"

That snapped him out of his haze. He spun on Fai to knock his hand away an instant after he'd already retreated.

Ryuuo set his empty mug on the counter with a clatter. "All right! I'm full of caffeine and ready to get back at it!"

Souma turned to Fai. "Could I see the check, please?"

Fai handed her the bill and Souma handed him her money card. Fai swiped it over the register and a quick chime rang out. He handed it back to her with a, "Thank you."

"Thank you for the coffee," Souma said, as she rose.

Ryuuo waved as he picked up his sword. "Yeah, thanks! Hopefully next time we meet, the Rabbit won't be running from a wolf." And with that he fled after his partner.

Kurogane glanced down at me. "A wolf?"

I groaned and ran a hand down my face.

Fai took the dirty mugs from the counter. "Rabbit-san ran into one of those strange oni we heard about. Luckily, Ryuuo-kun and Souma-san were in the area. Mokona, could you help me with these?" Fai disappeared into the kitchen, Mokona bouncing behind him.

"So," Kurogane said, "that kid back in Jade really did look like your brother."

"Yeah," I said. I understood his surprise. It was hard to be ready for people that looked _exactly_ like someone you knew, and not be them, even if you had been warned. But something Kurogane had said bothered me. "You seemed concerned that your Souma might be here."

Kurogane looked out the window. "Souma is one of Princess Tomoyo's best guards. If I'm not there, she better be."

"So you're one of you Princesses guards."

"Yeah." He gritted his teeth. "I am."

Wasn't sure how, but I'd touched a nerve there. "Why?" I asked. I wasn't really sure how the word got out, or why I'd asked it. Maybe because I'd always equated a ruler with someone like Adrian. Or the new Rane of Synia, who threw her country into war to get revenge for her wife's death. People loved them because of propaganda, not because they actually knew them. And most people who got close enough to Adrian to see through the lies, were there to get ahead, and didn't care about the corruption.

Kurogane didn't seem like that kind of person to me. But I could have been wrong.

His eyes snapped back to mine at the question, surprise erasing his annoyance, before it returned as anger. "Because she's the Princess."

I frowned. Kurogane was very perceptive. If he was one of the head guards for his princess, he must have seen through her façade. I wasn't sure how that fit together. He didn't seem like someone who only cared for their own gain. He'd found a way to free the Kiishim in the ryanban's castle without killing her, and had agreed to train Syaoran without roping him into some deal. Could he really serve a princess that loyally, with his level of perception, and not question her?

I should let it go. Defuse the argument before it got started. But instead I dug at it. "Is that the only reason you need? That she's the Princess, so she must be good, or powerful, or the perfect bloodline, or whatever your world values?"

Kurogane's lip curled. "Princess Tomoyo has earned her position countless times over. The people I fight are coming to kill a selfless woman who works to protect and aid her people every day." He leaned back. "I heard what you said to the princess, the one here, about the enemy. 'You don't have time to care about them if you're protecting yourself, or someone else.' You get it, so why are you confused about this?"

I remained silent, my expression empty. Maybe his princess was a decent person. It was obvious my companions all came from very different worlds, so maybe his had a genuinely kind ruler. Otherwise, I couldn't line up Kurogane's intelligence and morals with knowingly serving a corrupt leader.

His eyes narrowed. "You work for your country's army, for your king, right? Or your Ryanban or whatever your leader is called. You're protecting your brother, but you can't develop the skills you've shown with casual practice."

I didn't like where this was going, so I tried to redirect the topic of conversation. "What about you?" I snapped. "When you aren't protecting your Princess, which countries are you trying to dominate? Are you just spreading the _strength_ and _prosperity_ of your perfect country under the hard but fair hand of your leader?" Sarcasm dripped from my words.

Kurogane slammed a hand onto the table next to me. " _Our_ borders are the ones being threatened! Our people just want to live their lives—" He froze. His eyes lit with realization before narrowing. "Your country's at war," he said, suddenly quiet. "And you're the attackers."

Well, he'd figured it out. "Yeah," I snapped, tired. "We are."

"Why?" Something was working behind his eyes, but I couldn't place it. He kept looking me over like he could fit me into his understanding of something.

I snorted. "Because Elpedite is the strongest country in the world, and to bring peace to the world, we must expand our perfect rule to it. Or some bullshit like that."

"Well, why the hell are _you_ fighting if you don't believe it?"

"Because," I snarled, "my _king_ is a fucking psychopath who manipulates everyone around and below him. So you think, say and do what he wants, or he kills you. I kill who he tells me too, because it's always me or them, and I'll _always_ choose me!"

I shoved myself away from the counter and passed Kurogane. Exhaustion had made me lose control, and now I was going to pay for it. It was better to cut this argument short and go to bed before I made things worse. I should have ended it long before now. I'd be stuck traveling with Kurogane until I found my brother, and the more he hated me, the more dangerous he could be on the trip.

I ascended the stairs to my room and slid the door shut behind me with a snap. Tomorrow, I'd keep things as simple as possible: train Sakura, help with the café, and avoid Kurogane until he'd cooled off. Which might be never.

* * *

 **AN:** I'd love to hear what you guys thought of this chapter. A favorite scene maybe, or what you think of the interactions between Sakura and Alice. Please leave a review if you can, they really make my day. Thank you!


	14. Chapter 14

**AN:** Happy New Year everyone! I hope you like the chapter!

* * *

**Three Days Before Leaving Elpedite:**

I woke to motes of dust swirling through the sunlight above me and piano music drifting up from downstairs. Nathaniel was the one playing. He'd started when he was seven and had built up the skill since then. He was quite good now, but, being locked away from the world, he couldn't play for anyone except Mika, Ruetile, and me.

Staring at the ceiling, I listened. He played something light and bouncing for a while. But it stuttered, and began to dim. It wandered for a few minutes, drifting between melancholy and emotionless tunes. Then it crashed into an angry cacophony. I could almost see my brother attacking the piano keys. He still played beautifully, but knowing that was coming from him made my heart ache.

He stopped abruptly, and after a few breaths, he started the light tune again. It sounded hollow this time.

I took a deep breath and rose. Music was a healthy way of expressing your emotions, right? Maybe I should talk to Adrian about letting Nathaniel see a psychologist. Adrian wouldn't like it, but Nathaniel's behavior was starting to worry me. Things like the music he played and the jokes he made were getting darker. His grades were dropping, and he was speaking to me less. It had been so gradual, slight changes over months, I hadn't noticed at first. But one night he'd gotten a perfect score on his anatomy exam, and when I congratulated him on it, he burst into angry tears and ran to his room.

I didn't know what to do, and he'd refused to talk to me when I'd gone to comfort him. I had the awful suspicion I was the source of the problem, or at least a big part of it.

Forcing myself out of my room, I headed downstairs. In the living room, Nathaniel sat at the piano bench, his fingers dancing over the keys.

I opened my mouth, but before I could say hello, my pocket screen beeped three times. Nathaniel's music stopped. Only one person had my number.

Nathaniel met my eyes with a grimace as I accepted the call, heading for the front door. "Hello," I said as I stepped outside.

Adrian answered, his voice tighter than usual. "I've sent a hovercraft to pick you up. It will be there in five minutes." A storm of muffled voices crowded the background of the call.

"What's going on?" I asked, glancing back into the house in time to see the screen in the living room turn on by itself.

"You'll find out when you get here," he snapped. Then in a muffled voice, "Then run it again, it has to have some reading. You, get me a report on the AMS for the past hour. Now." The AMS was the Atmosphere Monitoring System. It usually scanned for foreign missiles and satellites that could be aimed at Elpedite cities. Clearer again, Adrian said; "You'll be on security as soon as you get here."

He hung up. I reentered the house to find Nathaniel watching the news. A red box in the corner of the screen indicated this was an emergency broadcast, that the channel could not be changed or the screen turned off.

The woman on screen had on a blue and white uniform with a copper medal on her jacket, marking her as a media officer. She muttered into her earpiece. A second later she straightened, faced the camera and spoke. "This emergency broadcast is due to an explosion that occurred in the tenth sector of Thani City approximately twenty minutes ago. Although we do not believe the affected area will grow, or similar incidents will occur, the citizens of Thani City are encouraged to take shelter immediately. If you have any information on this incident, call the number below, or contact the nearest city patrol officer."

As she repeated her message, video shot from a helicopter played next to her. It showed a cloud of dust pluming from a crater punched into the city street. It tore an office building in half and centered on the field of rubble that used to be the street. Flashing lights in the street marked emergency vehicles while tiny figures ran through the rubble, some in formation heading toward the crater. At the center of the impact, a spark of light gleamed through the dust.

"What is it?" Nathaniel asked, his gaze fixed on the screen.

"I don't know. Adrian didn't tell me." I shook my head, refocusing. "Nathaniel," I faced him, "a hovercraft is going to pick me up in a minute. Adrian wants me on security."

Nathaniel's face fell. "You have to go, now?" He glanced at the footage of the explosion.

I gritted my teeth. I didn't want to of course, but I didn't have a choice. "No one knows about this place and the house's security system is on high."

Nathaniel looked out the window at the pine forest. "Okay." He probably didn't feel much better about it, but he knew I couldn't stay, and nothing he said could change that.

The hum of a hovercraft rose as a shadow flew over the house. It landed in the clearing by the lake, about five hundred feet away, buffeting the pine trees nearby. I picked up by work bag in the kitchen and slung it over my shoulder before returning to the living room. Nathaniel met me there and wrapped me in a hug. I returned the embrace.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," I said into his hair. "You're safe here and I'll call you soon." I patted him on the back and released him. He sniffed, clenched his jaw, and nodded.

Nathaniel watched from the door as I walked down the path to the hovercraft.

The woman waiting by the hovercraft door held out a small scanner. A black helmet concealed the top half of her face. "Identify yourself," she yelled over the engine.

I waved my wrist over the scanner, and it flicked on a green light. The woman nodded, tucked away the scanner, and waved to the door. I boarded the craft and took my seat next to a man wearing the same uniform, facing straight ahead. A moment later the woman sat beside me and handed me a helmet.

Once it was on, the woman's voice crackled in my ear. "Alice is onboard. Clear for takeoff. Over."

"Understood. We should arrive at Thani City in thirty minutes. Over." The craft lurched upwards. As I watched the forest blur beneath us, I wondered what this was going to turn into. I didn't think a missile could have caused the damage—the area affected wasn't big enough. Someone could have planted a bomb, but it would have been difficult with the citizen monitoring systems.

Hopefully, my presence would be unnecessary, and this would be explained and over in a week. But a sense of dread swept over me as I remembered the spark in the center of the destruction. A tiny light at the center of the chaos that was too small and focused to be a fire. A normal light wouldn't have cut through the smoke, and a laser would have cast a line through it. Whatever the light was, it was entirely new.

**Present:**

"You'll use this to start," I said, handing Sakura the knife hilt first. It was a basic but reliable single-edged blade, about seven inches long. Eventually I'd train her to use two at once, but she'd start with one for now.

Sakura accepted it carefully, turning it over to look at it. I'd just returned to the café from a trip to the weapons stall at the market. I'd sold the knives I picked up in Koryo and used the money to help pay for new ones for Sakura and me. She was progressing well, and had managed to punch me in the face a few days ago. She'd immediately stopped to apologize, which was the last thing she should do in a fight. Once I told her that, and assured her I was fine, we continued.

I would have liked to wait longer before introducing knives, but with the oni around, she needed to know how to use some kind of weapon. And Sakura took what I said very seriously, so I doubted she would treat the knife like a toy. I'd wait a few days, and if she used the weapon responsibly, we'd get her a gun.

When she'd finished looking over the knife, I handed her the sheath. "This goes on your belt, or the inside of your shirt, and your knife stays there until you need it. Understand?"

"Yes," Sakura said, sheathing the knife before strapping it to her side.

"One thing you should know about blades is that if you're fighting someone with a knife, you're going to get cut. There are ways to minimize the injury, but you need to be ready for the pain, so always be in that mindset."

I pulled a mock knife from my belt. It flashed silver, but the edge was a blunted, so it couldn't cut anyone. "You can hold it in a regular grip," I demonstrated. "This has a slightly better reach, and you can stab this way." I flipped it into a backhand grip so the flat of the knife faced my arm. "Or you use this hold, which will make it hard for your opponent to block, but you can only use overhead stabs.

"Try to block this," I said, and swung the knife at her ribs. Sakura immediately dropped her arm, catching the swing on the blade of her arm, like I'd taught her. But with the backhand grip, she'd blocked my arm at the place where I held the knife. Had it been real, her arm would've been sliced open. "See that?"

Sakura nodded, lowering her arm to get a better view. "How do I block it?"

"You don't," I said. "With this style of knife fighting, it's nearly impossible to block. It's better to dodge and strike while they recover from the swing. Your opponent has to be close for them to do this. Use that to your advantage. Your elbows can deliver powerful strikes. Use them if your opponent is close enough."

We went over knife use and defense for the next hour. I showed Sakura the basic strikes, the areas to target like the neck, armpit and the inside of the upper arm, stomach, places with arteries. For stabbing, she'd want to aim blow the ribs with an upward strike, where she'd likely hit the lungs.

Sakura's color drained as I went over those, but she pressed her lips together and listened, repeating the mock strikes on me when I told her to. I finished the lesson with the importance of keepingyour knife. It was worse to have a weapon you couldn't keep that to be unarmed. If your opponent took your weapon, then they would wield it against you, and you'd be defenseless.

When we entered the café, Fai waved at us from the counter. "Well done, you two. Hungry?" He pointed to two steaming bowls in front of him.

"Yes," Sakura groaned, taking a seat at the bar. "Thank you!" She took a huge bite of noodles and closed her eyes. "It's so good."

I took a seat beside her. "Thanks."

"Alice-san," Fai said, "could you help Sakura-chan and I with some shopping today?"

"Sure." There wasn't much else for me to do during the day, considering oni only came out at night and the café was closed for the day. If I went shopping, I could look for a store that sold silencers, or fake guns for Sakura and I to practice with.

Once we finished our lunch, Fai led us to the market street. It was far busier than the grocery store Sakura and I had been to. Someone bumped into my arm as I tried to side step them. I nailed them with a glare before they drifted on. "What do we need?" I asked, wanting to get this done as quickly as possible.

Fai leaned on his cane, using his free hand to slip the shopping list from his pocket. His limp was improving; a few more days and he'd be back to normal. "We'll need flour, eggs, bread, milk, cinnamon, chocolate, coffee beans, and sugar."

I nodded, opening the door to the shop for Fai. Inside, Sakura and I split up, seeking out what Fai assigned us bringing it back for approval or correction. Fai paused when all that was left was flour.

"We're going to need at least four bags of flour," Fai said, squinting at the twenty pound bags of flour in the corner before glancing at the full bags of groceries Sakura and I were already carrying. Even Mokona, perched on Fai's shoulder, carried a jar of cinnamon. Fai snapped his fingers. "We'll order them now and Big Puppy can pick them up later."

I was sure he'd be thrilled to hear that, but we didn't have enough hands to carry it now, so it would have to be.

As we exited the store, a young boy sprinted past, hurling pamphlets as he went. "Notice! Oni attacking regular citizens!"

Shifting my groceries to one arm, I caught one of the pamphlets. A glance at the strange symbols reminded me I couldn't read it. It did, however, have a tiny picture of an oni on it. It was a bat-like creature, with long claws and too many eyes. I winced at the idea of dealing with an oni that could fly.

Fai and Sakura leaned over my shoulder to look. "It seems the attacks have escalated," Fai said, glancing around that the people around us. Many had paused to look over the pamphlets, and worried mutters were growing around us.

"I still don't get why the oni _wouldn't_ attack civilians," I said.

Fai smile sharpened a bit. "I'm not sure either. It doesn't seem quite right, does it?"

We shared a glance, and in it I saw that he didn't buy what Outo country said about the oni either. We knew something was wrong here. I nodded, not ready to discuss a potential dangerous topic further in public. I didn't know what we were allowed to question.

We were on our way back to the café when Sakura paused. I turned to see her staring into a window of a music store. The display had dusty sheet music, music stands, and a collection of small instruments.

"Would you like to go inside, Sakura-chan?" Fai asked.

Sakura snapped out of her daze, her face reddening. "No! It's okay. I didn't mean to slow us down."

Fai laughed. "We're not in a hurry. Come on." And he pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Sakura looked at me expectantly. I shrugged, and followed Fai. The eggs had to get to the fridge, but they'd be fine for a little while.

Inside, Sakura and I set our bags down by the door, out of the way. The shop was a tiny thing, with the walls stacked with sheet music. Racks displaying various instruments were crammed together, leaving just enough space the let people walk between. But in the back of the shop, a grand piano took up the corner.

Fai and Mokona examined a set of drums set against the right wall. Well, Mokona jumped on them while Fai laughed. Sakura drifted over to a polished violin, her fingers hovering over the strings.

"Can you play anything?" I asked.

She frowned. "I don't know. But some of these seem . . . familiar? What's this one called?"

"A violin." Nathaniel could play the violin. He'd stopped playing it as often in favor of the piano, though. I wondered again where he was, and cut the thought off before it could escalate.

Sakura nodded and moved on, her gaze already fixed on another instrument. I wandered the other way, glancing over the various pieces at I went. I saw flutes, and trumpets, but some things I didn't recognize. A three stringed instrument, a little like a banjo, leaned against one of the shelves. Another instrument was like nothing I knew. It was a single board, with stings stretching from one end to the other.

I reached the piano in the back. Dust covered the keys, but underneath it was in good shape. My hand hovered over it. When Nathaniel was little, and was just starting to play, his fingers were too small the reach all the keys, so he split the notes in half.

He'd sat me down at the bench and shown me what keys to play for the left hand while he took care of what the right hand should have played. The notes he played were always the main part of the song, with my notes taking more of a background sound.

I let my fingers hit the keys in a quick set of notes. As I expected, it hardly sounded like a tune without the other half.

"You can play?" Fai asked, behind me.

I drew my hand away from the keys. "No."

Fai blinked, but didn't press it.

Sakura appeared from between the shelves. "What was that?"

"A piano," I said, pointing over my shoulder. "You can try it, if you want."

She glanced at Fai, and he gave her an encouraging smile, gesturing to the instrument. Excitement lit her eyes as she approached the piano. When she reached for the keys, she froze, frowned, and sat down at the bench. Her back straightened and hands held in the position I'd seen Nathaniel use hundreds of times.

A moment later, she was playing. A simple, happy tune that spun in on itself before burst into another round. I leaned back against wall, listening as Sakura lost herself in the song. When it was finished, Fai and Mokona burst into applause.

"Amazing, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura blinked, registering what she'd done, before her face burned red and she hid her face in her hands. "T-thank you." She rose. "We should probably go now. The eggs might be getting warm."

"Oh, yes," Fai said, eyebrows rising like he'd forgotten that detail.

We were back on the street, only a block away from the café when Sakura stumbled to a stop. She blinked at me, her gaze growing distant and her weight shifting. "I think . . . "

I dropped my bags, took hers with one hand, and caught her against my side before she went limp completely. She'd been working so hard lately; I was surprised this hadn't happened before. Now was probably one of the better times for it.

"Good catch," Fai said, taking the bags from my hand. "There's a bench over there where you can set her down."

I nodded, pulling Sakura's arm over my shoulder and gripping her around the waist. I set her down on the bench Fai had indicated, making sure she wouldn't fall off before retrieving our bags and moving them to the bench. Fai and I took a seat on either side of Sakura to wait. "She's been doing better lately," Fai said. "Even if she did pass out today."

"Yeah," I said. I hoped that meant she'd wake up in a few minutes, not hours. This wasn't a bad place to wait, though. The bench faced a park with a nearby river. Squirrels ran back and forth between the trees as teenagers played catch in the grass. Two women relaxed on a picnic blanket set up by the water, holding hands.

Something burned in the back of my mind. A feeling somewhere between déjà vu and dread crept up on me. I scanned the park. Adrian wasn't here, and everyone seemed normal. But as I watched I knew there was something wrong with the scene.

"Fai," I said, "is there something strange here?"

Fai tilted his head. His smile dimmed, so I knew he was taking this seriously. "I take it besides the oni?"

"Yeah. Like, here, specifically," I waved a hand at the park.

Fai tilted his head and stared at the park for a long moment. "I can't say I see anything."

I propped my chin in my hand and scanned the people again. I could almost hear Adrian drumming his fingers against the bench behind me. "You're looking at it the wrong way," he said. "What's the better question?"

"The better question?" I whispered into my palm. I looked again. Everything _here_ was normal.

"What's missing?" Close. But not it. I glared at the bricks beneath my feet.

" _Who's_ missing?"

I hissed in a breath as it hit me like a blow. I could be wrong. I had to start looking before I could be sure.

"Alice-san?" Fai asked. "What is it?"

I debated staying quiet and waiting until we got to the café. But city hall had known when a oni attacked us there. If it had to be said, maybe here was the better place.

"Have you seen any children since we got here?" I asked, my voice low. "Not teenagers, but babies, toddlers, anyone younger than ten? Any pregnant women even?"

"Oh," Fai breathed. His expression betrayed a flash of surprise before slipping back into calm. "I can't say I have."

It could be my imagination and paranoia getting the better of me. I was on edge, with The System malfunctioning and the oni prowling around, I could be seeing problems when they weren't there. But I'd keep an eye out for kids. If I saw any, I'd know I was wrong. If I didn't, then I'd know my concern was justified. "Let's not talk about it until we've watched for a while." And until it was safe to talk about.

"Agreed," Fai said.

One of the teens whooped as he caught the ball before hurling it to his friend. She caught it and the group ran further into the trees, leaving the park empty and quiet.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Change of plans," I told Sakura as she set a bag of sugar on the counter. "You're learning how to shoot tonight."

Sakura nearly dropped the bag, sputtering. "Already?"

"Yep. The oni are dangerous, and I think you're responsible enough." That, and Outo was starting to freak me out. If something was about to change, or if we had to leave quickly, I wanted her armed and ready.

I poked my head out of the kitchen to see Fai at the bar. "Fai, we're going to Sarah's Lucky Shot. We'll be back in an hour or two."

He waved. "Have fun!"

"Right now?" Sakura asked.

"Was that the last of the groceries?" She nodded. "Then yes, right now."

"Okay," she squeaked, trailing after me as we left out the back door. She'd only been asleep for a short time, so we still had a few hours before sunset. I wanted to get back before dark.

"What should I know?" Sakura asked, falling into step beside me.

"We'll start you off with a revolver," I said. "They have fewer shots than a pistol, only five or six, but they're more reliable and will force you to be careful with your shots when you fire." I slowed to look her in the eye. "Guns aren't like knives, or punches. You can't pull your strike at the last second if you realize you've made a mistake. Once you pull the trigger, that's it. There's no taking back what you've done, no minimizing the damage. So you treat every gun you see or hold as if it's loaded. Even if you know it's empty, it isn't. That way you never point it at someone you don't intend to kill. Got it?"

Sakura's brow creased in concern. But there was conviction there too. "I understand."

"Good." I faced ahead and picked up my pace. "I'll tell you more once we get there."

About ten minutes later I swung open the door to Sarah's Lucky Shot. The bell above the door rang, and Sarah peaked at us from behind the counter. After the sound of a closing drawer, she rose. "Hey Rabbit," she said. "Need more ammo?"

I'd been by several times now to buy bullets, more than the average customer, apparently. "Not this time," I said, crossing the room to the table of revolvers, gesturing for Sakura to follow. "She needs a revolver, preferably 9 mm."

Sarah approached, eyes narrowed in thought. "How about this one?" She picked up a gold revolver with a five shot barrel and a curling rose engraved on the side. "It's 9mm and a nice compact model." She handed it to Sakura.

Sakura took it out of reflex, but froze as soon as she had it, glancing at me.

"Point it at the floor," I said. "And lay your finger over the trigger guard, not on the trigger." I picked up one of the other revolvers and demonstrated. She followed my instruction, gripping it with both hands.

"Can you grip it comfortably, or is it too big?" I asked.

"I think it's okay?" she said.

I took the gun, handing her a bigger model. "How does this compare?"

She held it for a second before shaking her head. "The first one was better."

"All right then," I took the gun from her hand and set it down before handing Sarah the first revolver. "We'd like to test this one."

"Fantastic," she said. "I'll meet you in the range."

As Sarah stepped behind the counter, Sakura and I took earmuffs from the bin next to the shooting range door and put them on. Then we stepped inside. We were alone, so we had our pick of the booths. I chose a center one and turned to Sakura. She glanced up at me, fidgeting with her sleeve.

"I'd recommend you do this. But if you're scared, you don't have to," I said. I didn't want to force her into anything. She had the power to make her own choices, and I wanted her to know that. I didn't want to be like Adrian.

She took a deep breath. "I'm nervous, but I want to do this. I'm just scared of making a mistake."

"I'll be here to check you," I said. "I'm not going to let you mess up. As long as were both careful, you'll be fine. And it's just a weapon. It only does what you make it do."

"Okay," Sakura let out a breath, and some of the tension eased from her shoulders.

Sarah entered, the pistol at her side. "Here you go. The five test shots are already in."

I extended a hand. "I'll be firing first." Sarah handed it over.

Turning to aim down the range, I paused, opened the barrel and removed one of the bullets. "This is a bullet," I told Sakura. I explained to her how the gun powder in the back half of the bullet exploded and propelled the front half down the barrel at 1,500 feet per second. I went over the cylinder, trigger, grip, and hammer. When I was done, I raised the gun with both hands and aimed at the target.

"You'll aim by lining up the front and back sights on your target. When you fire, take a breath in, let it halfway out, then steadily squeeze the trigger." I cocked the hammer, and pulled the trigger. The gun fired with a bang, leaving smoke streaming from the barrel.

Sakura watched with wide eyes, her gaze flicking from the pistol to the new hole in the target, millimeters away from the center.

"And again," I said before firing a second time. This time it was a perfect shot.

I lowered the gun. "How many bullets are left?" I asked Sakura.

"Three," she said.

"Good. Always keep track of how many shots you have." Keeping the gun pointed down, I extended it to her. "Remember, point it at the floor and keep your finger off the trigger." As I spoke, Sarah pulled the target back down the track and replaced it with a new one before sending it back out.

Determination lit in Sakura's eyes and she accepted the gun with both hands, following my instructions. I moved aside and let her step up to the firing panel.

"I want you to raise the gun, aim, and fire the way I showed you. Brace for the recoil, don't drop the gun, but if you do, _do not_ try to catch it."

She nodded, eyes locked on the weapon. Taking a breath, she raised the gun, and aimed. She let out her breath slowly, and carefully pulled the trigger.

_**Bang!** _

The gun fired, and Sakura jumped, but kept her hold. She lowered the gun a few inches and checked the target.

She'd hit it dead center.

"Nicely done," I said, surprised at her accuracy. "Now do it again."

She fired two more times, taking careful aim. They landed five and three inches away from the center, which was impressive for someone who'd never held a gun before.

We ended up leaving with Sakura's new revolver, her hip holster, and ammo, and I ended up getting a 9mm rifle and some magazines for it. I wouldn't use the rifle as much as my handgun, but I wanted something that could manage longer distances, if I needed it.

As we stepped onto the street, I pointed to Sakura's revolver, gleaming on her hip. It was empty, but Sakura had continued to treat it as if loaded. "That stays holstered unless I tell you to use it, or there's a matter of life or death. Not if you feel like you can helpful, but someone will absolutely die unless something changes."

"I understand," Sakura said. "I promise I'll be careful."

Her seriousness settled my nerves, but a small part of me still questioned my decision to give her a gun already. I didn't know how she'd handle a high stress situation, or how aware she'd be of the people around her. But I'd prioritize gun practice over everything else until I was sure she had enough training.

Darkness fell over me. The sun was setting, stretching the shadows of the trees across the pavement against orange light. "All right. Let's go." We set off for the café. On our way there, I watched for any children, or any sign of them. There was nothing.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"A little to the left," Fai said.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and instead gave the piano a good shove. It slid into place, the legs squeaking against the hardwood.

Fai shook his head. "No, sorry. Back to the right."

I looked at him, then the piano positioned roughly on the corner of the café. "It's fine." I left to take a seat at the bar.

He slumped against the bar. "But it has to be perfect!"

"Then get Kurogane to do it." I wasn't sure what imperfections Fai was seeing. It looked fine to me.

Fai's apparent disappointment vanished beneath a smirk. "Good idea."

I glanced over my shoulder at the instrument. "Why did you get it anyway?"

Fai shrugged. "It might be nice to have some music in the café, especially since we know Sakura-chan can play. I think she had fun when she did. Now," he straightened, "I'm going to find Big Puppy."

When he left the bar I sighed, glaring at the piano. I'd always associated music with my brother, pianos especially. Having one would be a constant reminder that he wasn't here, and I was trying not to think on that. I wanted to find him, of course, but now that I knew he wasn't in this world, there nothing I could do but wait. With the difference in the flow of time between worlds, even rushing wouldn't do any go.

A set of footsteps descended the stairs. I turned to see Sakura, yawning. "Good morning, Alice-san."

"Morning," I said.

When Sakura caught sight of the piano, she paused. "What's that doing here?"

"Fai bought it for you."

Her face reddened as she approached the instrument. "That was very nice of him. But I'm not sure how well I could play it."

"You played like you've been practicing for years," I said, flatly. "Your music is fine."

She pointed at the instrument. "Do you think I could . . . "

I waved a hand. "It is for you."

The last of her hesitation gone, she sat at the bench and raised her hands. Then her fingers were flying across the keys, dancing out a slow, light melody. It was nice to sit there for a bit and listen while the morning sun gleamed off the piano and hardwood. But memories of similar mornings with Nathaniel tinted it all a shade darker.

By my elbow was a stack of large paperback booklets. I picked up the first one open, and found sheet music.

When Sakura had finished her song I raised the booklet. "These are probably for you too."

Sakura joined me and took the papers. She opened the book and frowned. "What is it?"

"Sheet music," I said, frowning. "Can you read it? Or do you have something different in Clow?"

She shook her head. "I can't read it and . . . I don't know if Clow has music like this. I can't remember." She set the papers back down, a distant sadness in her gaze.

"So you've been playing with muscle memory?" I asked.

"I think so. I just sit down and play."

"Okay." I rose from the bar, gesturing for her to follow. She did, and sat down next to me when I took a seat at the piano bench. I didn't know much about playing, but I could tell her the little I did know.

"The white keys are labeled A through G. This is A, B, C . . ." I tapped the keys as I went. Sakura watched until I was finished. "The keys correspond to the dots on the scale," I pointed to the notes on the sheet, "but I don't remember how. You'll have to ask someone else."

"You play the piano?" she asked, her eyes wide in surprise.

"No," I said.

"Then how do you know this?" She gestured to the keys.

"My brother can play. I helped him, when he was little." Nathaniel had been eight when he recruited me to help him play. After several times of stopping me with, "No, not that one, _that_ one," I'd told him he needed to be more specific. So he'd taught me which letters corresponded to which notes.

"Would he teach me, when you find him?" Sakura asked.

I gave her a small smile. It would have no real effect on the future, but I appreciated her use of _when_ not _if_. "I'm sure he'd love to."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_**Bang!** _

Sakura jolted against the recoil, but kept her grip on the pistol. She glared at the green bottle she'd missed for a third time. The glass sparkled in the sun. But she raised the revolver and fired again.

We'd found a nice place away from town to practice at. I'd checked in at town hall for shooting ranges—Sarah's Lucky Shot was nice, but too busy—and one of the Emmas had suggested the hillside at Madison Grove. It was a location that allowed firearms use, and the hillside would catch any bullets fired.

I'd lined up empty bottles and cans from the café on a fallen log for Sakura to shoot at. She'd hit the first one dead on, sending the can spinning. After that it had taken several shots per target, but after a few minutes she'd gotten it down. I'd started a cycle of waiting until she hit the targets with one shot consistently, before moving us farther away and starting again.

"How many shots left?" I asked.

"Two," she said immediately. She fired again and the bottle burst into emerald shards.

"Next time, reload as quickly as you can," I said. "Don't rush, but move with purpose." The down side of revolvers was that they took longer to reload. I wanted Sakura to reduce that time as much as she could.

After Sakura shot the last can, she lowered her revolver and flicked opened the cylinder. She took five bullets from the ammo box and slid them in methodically, before snapping the cylinder shut. It took about ten seconds, which was decent, and she would get faster as she did it more often.

"Good. Gun down," I said, picking up my grocery bag of cans and bottles. I walked to the log and set up the last five targets before reaching for the rolled up paper and nail at the bottom. I unrolled it, walked to a nearby tree, and nailed it in place with the hilt of my knife.

When I returned to Sakura, she had a sour look on her face. "Aim for the head," I said, pointing to the human silhouette on the poster. "Head shots will kill the enemy instantly, in most cases. Body shots are easier to make, but probably won't kill them immediately, which means they'll still have time to fire on you."

When I fired on my enemies, I always took head shots. I figured it was a kinder death, to be unaware that it had happened, and to feel less pain. The alternative meant leaving them enough time to process that their body wasn't working, to see the blood pumping out of them, and to realize their life was about to end. That the people who loved them were about to be devastated, and they'd never see them again. Enough time to feel the pain, the bullet, and the cold creeping up their hands.

I'd hoped that if I ever made a mistake, they'd show me the same kindness.

I glanced at Sakura. "When you've landed ten shots, we'll call it a day."

Sakura nodded and shot the last five cans, then reloaded and aimed at the poster. She hesitated.

I crossed my arms and stared at the target. "Remember, the kind of people you'll have to shoot at aren't good. They're the kind that would hurt you or Syaoran if given the chance. It's their choice to attack you. Don't feel guilty for dealing out the only reasonable response."

"What if I talked to them?" Sakura said. From the tone of her voice, I think she only half-considered it an option.

"The decision to kill is a heavy one. Regardless of if it's made by someone who only wants to hurt you, or in self-defense. You won't have the time or composure to talk them down." I watched the light glint of the shells casings at Sakura's feet. "The people I shot couldn't have stopped me with words." It was cold, and might scare her, but it was true and something she should hear.

Sakura gave me a concerned look out of the corner of her eye before nodding. She refocused on the target.

_**Bang!** _

"Good try," I said. "Again."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Sakura fiddled with the strap on her shoulder. "Do I have this on right?"

It was her first time wearing her new gear. I'd gotten her a set similar to mine: a breastplate, arm guards, bullet and blade resistant shirt and pants, and steel-toed boots. "It needs to be tightened." I gave the strap a quick yank, fixing the lopsided set of her breastplate.

Fai who was half asleep on the bar, gave her a thumbs up. "Very cool, Sakura-chan."

Sakura blushed. "Thank you."

Syaoran, who had been on his way to the back of the café, paused. His shoulders tensed as his eyes flicked over Sakura's armor and pistol. "Are you two going oni hunting?"

Sakura grinned. "Yes! Alice-san and I are going to Tsubaki Road." They held each other's eyes for a moment before both their gazes slid to me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to come, Syaoran?"

"Yes, please." He blushed, bowing slightly. "I promise not to get in the way."

"As long as you two don't distract each other." If they got lost chatting with each other while we were out, I'd send Syaoran back.

Syaoran and Sakura's faces blazed red as Fai laughed. It was a bit reassuring knowing Syaoran would be another pair of eyes with us. Shrugging my rifle onto my shoulder, I opened the front door. "Let's go."

"Happy hunting!" Fai said, waving us off.

Sakura and Syaoran fell into step behind me. For the first few minutes, they remained silent, following me through the streets while the moon, nearly full, hung above us. We took the back roads, so the street lights were dim and few. Several flickered as we passed.

When we were about a block away from Tsubaki Road, Sakura picked up her pace to walk beside me. "What's the plan?"

"We're going to an easy area. I've been here before, so I know the kind of oni we'll be dealing with. They usually come in waves of about ten. For the first wave, you'll stand back and watch the way they move. For the second wave, you'll work with me to kill them." Unlike the area with the wolves, the oni here were actually easy to kill. I'd hunted here three times and nothing strange had happened, so this was the best spot I could think of to start Sakura off.

I looked over my shoulder to Syaoran. "You can watch our back, but don't step between Sakura and I and the oni. If you do that, you'll put yourself in the line of fire and you may get shot."

He nodded. "I understand."

Minutes later, we arrived. Unlike most oni hunting grounds, this wasn't an alley, but an actual street with benches and streetlamps. The place empty of people; most of the buildings here were warehouses.

I pulled my rifle off my shoulder, holding it pointed at the ground. "The oni here are spider-like, about two feet tall. They're quick, but tend to pause on their way to you."

From behind a bench, one of the creatures scuttled into the road. It had six legs, and its body was about the size of a soccer ball. It blinked at us with a pair of yellow eyes. I raised my rifle, aimed, and fired. The oni flew back, bouncing across the stones and dissolving away.

Another was already crawling out of the gutter. I allowed this one to spot us and scuttle closer. After about ten feet, it paused, slowly walking to the left and blinking at me, before moving closer again. This time when it paused, I shot it.

"They don't really deviate from that pattern," I said, aiming at the next one. "It's best to shoot them when they pause."

When the first wave had finished, I stepped back next to Sakura. "We have about three minutes. You have five shots, which means you'll need to reload. When you do, stay calm, I'll cover you for however long you need. Anything you miss and gets within ten feet of us, I'll take care of." I looked to Syaoran. "And Syaoran has our back."

Syaoran nodded emphatically. "Of course."

Sakura nodded and took a deep breath. She took her revolver off her hip and checked that it was loaded. Then she raised her gun and waited.

When the first oni crawled out of the shadows, I aimed for it and waited. A second later there was a gunshot and the oni was thrown back, crumbling away as it landed.

"Good work," I said, shifting to aim at the next one. It ran toward us and paused. There was another gun shot and a flash of sparks just beside the creature. "That's fine. Try again."

The thing lowered its weight to run, just before Sakura shot again. This time she got it.

"How many shots left?" I asked.

"Two!" She sounded confident. Sakura downed the next two oni as soon as they appeared.

"I've got it," I said. "Step back and reload." Sakura left the corner of my vision as her revolver's cylinder clicked open. "Syaoran, how's the back?"

"Clear," he said.

I took care of the next two oni before Sakura returned to my side. "Ready."

I held my fire and let Sakura down the next two oni. The third had gotten pretty close while she'd been busy, about fifteen feet. She missed again and it ran toward us. I fired, and it went bouncing across the sidewalk.

"Sorry!" Sakura said.

"Don't worry," I said. "You're doing well. Adrenaline will make you shaky, which will throw off your aim, so try to calm down."

"Two behind!" Syaoran said before there was the thud of impact. "One! I've got it." The sound of a second kick landing sounded.

The last two oni appeared simultaneously. Sakura took a few seconds, but then she fired in succession, and hit them both dead on.

"Very good," I said. I watched the street for a few seconds before lowering my rifle. "Clear. Next wave in two minutes."

"Clear," Syaoran said.

Sakura holstered her gun and beamed at me and Syaoran. "I did it!"

"Congratulations, Your Highness," Syaoran said.

"Good work," I said, reloading my rifle. "Do you want to stay for the next wave?"

"Yes!" Sakura clenched her fists. "I want to try to get all of them this time."

"Then get ready," I said.

Sakura loaded her revolver and was ready when the first oni crawled out. She managed well, only missing twice and firing again to correct the mistake. When she needed to reload, she moved quickly enough that I didn't have to cover her. When the wave was over, I hadn't fired a shot.

"All right," I said, lowering my gun. "Let's move back for now."

When we'd left Tsubaki Road Sakura holstered her revolver with a grin, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I did it!"

Syaoran beamed at her. "You've improved a lot!"

Sakura blushed. "Thank you." She turned to me. "And thank you so much, Alice-san."

I shrugged, not entirely sure what to do with the thanks. "You're welcome." I scanned the horizon, and found the clock tower. "I was going to stop by town hall on the way back. Do you mind if we head out a little early?"

"I'm okay," Sakura said.

Syaroan nodded. "Me too."

"All right," I said, turning to head down the street.

Town hall was only a block off our route, so the walk there was quick. We ascended the marble steps and entered the bright building. Inside was quiet, with only one other person speaking softly with one of the Emmas. I approached one of the open desks, the Emma giving me a glassy smile as I approached.

"Hello," she said. "How may I help you?"

I crushed my hesitation. I would ask a simple question, and regardless of the answer, I'd leave. It was a risk, but I wanted some clue as to what was going on.

"Could you tell me where the nearest maternity ward is?" I asked. I figured asking for a location specific to children was a bit less conspicuous than outright asking where they were.

Emma tilted her head. "There are no maternity wards in Outo country. If you believe you are pregnant, you must inform the nearest city official immediately. Do you believe you are pregnant?"

"No," I said quickly. My blood chilled, but I shut down my expression, letting nothing out. "I thought I heard someone mention one, so I was curious." It was a poor excuse, but one the AI might buy. Hopefully, no alerts had been sent. "Goodnight."

She waved as I left the desk. "Goodnight."

I kept my pace under control, despite the desire to sprint from the building. Syaoran and Sakura fell in step at my side. Syaoran glanced over his shoulder at Emma. "What was that?"

"Later," I said, my eyes fixed on the exit.

Sakura and Syaoran shared a concerned look, but kept quiet. When we'd left the city hall several blocks behind, and I checked to make sure we weren't followed, I slowed.

"There aren't any kids in Outo," I said.

Sakura blinked. "What?"

"I haven't seen anyone younger than ten since we got here, and Emma just said there are no maternity wards here."

Syaoran frowned at the pavement. "I don't think I've seen any either."

A man approached us, glancing our way. I met his eyes with an icy expression before glancing over his hands and jacket. As he reached us, I slipped my hands into my pockets. Then he looked away, passing by us as his shoes clicked on pavement. "Let's keep our discussions of it at a minimum," I said, once he was out of earshot. "I don't know what's going on, but there's a reason people aren't talking about it."

Concern crumpled Sakura's face. "If this is like Jade, maybe we can help."

I shook my head. "Whatever is going on, the government knows about it, which makes this whole country our enemy, not one unknown individual. The best we can do for now is watch and listen. And ask very careful questions."

Sakura frowned. "All right."

Syaoran's jaw tightened, but he nodded and set his gaze on the sidewalk.

I wasn't done looking for answers, but Emma's focus on me after I'd asked the question chilled me. Something was wrong with Outo. We'd have to find out soon what it was, or leave.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The café door slid open with a bang, nearly causing me to drop the glass I held. I turned to see Kurogane trudge through the door, three twenty pound bags of flour on each shoulder. Our eyes locked for a moment before I looked away, continuing to stack glasses behind the bar. We hadn't spoken since our argument, and I was fine with that. Logically, I knew I should try to clear the air and avoid future problems, but I didn't think I could sort out an argument with anyone besides my brother. All evidence showed I had awful people skills, and I didn't think Kurogane's could make up for mine.

"You couldn't have had these delivered?" Kurogane asked.

Fai leaned across the counter. "It was too expensive. Thank you, though!" Kurogane muttered to himself as he dropped the bags on the counter, little puffs of flour bursting from them.

Sakura entered carrying a box of clean glasses. She set the box down next to me and glanced around. "Where's Syaoran-kun?"

Kurogane glanced out the window. "Still training."

I looked outside at the already black sky. I wondered what training Syaoran could be doing at this time of night, but shrugged it off. As soon as I finished setting up the bar, I was going out myself.

"Hello everyone!" Yuzuriha sang as she and Shiyu entered the café. Her dog followed silently at her heels, ears flicking.

"Welcome back," Fai said.

They took their seats at the bar and ordered the usual as Fai got to work. I paused, the glass in my hand hovering an inch from the counter. I could try pressing Yuzuriha for answers on the missing children. Not directly, of course, but she was probably one of the better people to ask, and Shiyu was speaking with Fai. Yuzuriha would be less stern than Shiyu, and less likely to follow the rules. I set down the glass. Across for Yuzuriha, I leaned against the counter.

"Yuzuriha, could I ask for your advice?" I kept my voice soft, not low enough to be strange, but not loud enough to pull the others' attention.

"Sure," she set down her fork. "What's up?"

"My little brother might be moving to Outo soon, and he'll need to find a new school. Could you recommend any nearby?"

She looked at the counter. "Hmmm. Well Kagami High School might be a good one. But he'll have to talk to the school he's going to now before moving here. Once you're here, the schools can't really work out a transfer."

I shook my head. "He's only nine, so he'll need an elementary school." Nathaniel was actually twelve, but I wanted information on younger kids. I'd seen plenty of teenagers around, Yuzuriha being one of them.

Yuzuriha's eyebrows rose. "He's nine?" Her mouth twisted into a frown. "You might want to talk to your parents then . . . cause, you know . . ."

I blinked. She'd implied this was something I should already know, and she didn't want to talk about it. I decided I could press once. "I know what?"

Her confused expression deepened, but didn't take on an angry or suspicious tinge. "Well there's . . . an age restriction for moving into Outo."

She shifted in here seat, glancing away from my gaze. There was more there she wasn't saying, but she was uncomfortable now, and I didn't want to push her much farther. I couldn't work out why a law like that would be in place, or why there weren't any maternity wards here. There may have been a disease that only affected the very young, but I hadn't heard about it, and if there was such a disease there would be some kind of information campaign.

"Ah, right. I forgot," I said, looking to Fai out of the corner of my eye. Fai glanced away from his conversation with Shiyu and met my eyes. He gave me a slight nod. He'd heard. Kurogane was already staring at me when I looked his way. He remained still, but there was something steely in his eyes that told me he'd been listening as well.

"I'll get that out of your way," I said, taking Yuzuriha's empty plate and heading for the kitchen. Her baffled expression smoothed away as Fai asked her how she liked the new recipe, pulling her into their conversation.

In the kitchen, I set the dirt plate in the dishwasher just as Sakura finished putting away some clean pans.

"Would you like to review some anatomy?" I asked. She should know some basics at least, so she'd know where to strike and what parts of her body to protect.

She perked up with a nod. "Yes, please."

We returned to the bar and took the two seats on the end. I took a pen and napkin, and scribbled a rough drawing of the human body. I marked the rough locations of major veins and arteries as Sakura nodded along. I'd just started on the skull, mentioning that the temple was its weakest point, when the front door flew open with a bang.

All heads in the bar turned to see Ryuuo panting in the doorway. "We saw the new oni!" he said as Syaoran stumbled in behind him. Both their clothes were torn, and bloody scrapes laced their skin. Syaoran was covered in dirt and had a dazed look in his eyes as he leaned against the doorframe.

"Seriously?" Yuzuriha said, jumping up from her seat. "Where?"

"Mirai Park," Ryuuo said, straightening. "There were so many oni. They were all stronger than I've ever seen."

Syaoran's glassy gaze lay fixed on some point in the distance. Sakura approached him, and his eyes cleared. They had a brief exchange in quiet voices, Syaoran giving her a reassuring smile.

I drifted over. "What happened?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

Syaoran glanced at the floor. "We were attacked by oni, a horde of them. And the new oni was controlling them."

"So?" I gave him a sharp look. "You've seen them before, and now you're acting like you're in shock. What happened?" If some new threat had shown up, I wanted to know.

Syaoran looked at Ryuuo, who was recounting the adventure with wild gestures to a captivated audience of Shiyu and Yuzuriha. Then in a quiet voice he said, "I saw someone from Clow."

"So a look-alike?"

Syaoran shook his head. "He recognized me. It was the man who taught me to fight."

I couldn't fit it together for a moment. But it would make sense somebody else had the ability to travel between worlds. And it was odd that Syaoran had crossed paths with them twice. But it didn't explain his confused daze. "He was your teacher, and you saw him while you were fighting oni under control of the new one. . ." I grimaced. There was a gap between Syaoran's apparent reunion and the appearance of the mysterious, _humanoid_ oni. And I thought I knew what it was. "Syaoran, what was the new oni?"

Syaoran looked past me and into the distance. "It was my teacher: Seishirou."

* * *

 **AN:** Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please leave a review if liked anything, they always make my day!


	15. Chapter 15

**AN:** This took way too long to write, so sorry about that. I'd had this chapter mostly written for a long time, but didn't really like how it turned out. But, my awesome beta reader pulled me out of my indecision and helped me fix the chapter up. Hope you guys like the results!

**The day before we left:**

"Nothing?" Adrian asked, his tone frigid.

The team of scientists standing before him flinched. I wasn't sure what they expected. Adrian had given them a task, and they hadn't delivered. They were charged with identifying the feather, but it was still an anomaly.

The woman heading the team straightened and consulted her screen. "It is, by appearance, a feather. Of course, it has enormous energy outputs, including a small amount of visible light and low level ultra-violet and infrared rays. But we can't find anything else. There are no results explaining its ability to float. It must be giving off more energy than just photons, but it's not electricity, magnetism, or radiation."

Adrian stared at the images of the feather of his screens, fingers drumming against his desk. "How many times have you run the tests?"

"Three times each."

He pushed off from the desk. "Replace all of your machinery and personnel, then run them again. Now."

The scientists scuttled out of the room. When the door shut behind them, Adrian turned to me. "How have they been behaving?"

I was on security, and one of the few with high enough clearance to be in the lab with the feather. Adrian had tasked me with watching the scientists for strange behavior. He knew I that could spot something obviously suspicious. No doubt he had other people watching them as well.

"From what I can tell, the tests are thorough and careful. The scientists seem frustrated at the lack of results, but have remained professional." I hadn't known most of the procedures, of course, but I'd know a guilty look, or the slip of a hand pocketing classified results. Adrian had chosen his team well, and I'd seen nothing but an efficient analysis.

Adrian nodded, and sat back down at his desk. He fingers flew over the screen as his eyes flickered over various graphs and write ups from the lab team. After a few minutes he signed something, scanned his fingerprint onto it, and sent it off.

The lack of progress frustrated me too. The longer the lab team took to identify the feather, the longer I had to stay here. It left me with a lot of time staring at walls and thinking. There was a question I'd wanted to ask Adrian for six years. And until now, I'd buried it. There wasn't a real point in asking it; the answer wouldn't change the past. But I'd behaved perfectly for the past year. So even though this wasn't the best time, I felt confident Adrian would entertain the question, if only to take a break from researching this feather.

"Adrian," I said, assuming a blank expression, "may I ask a question?"

Adrian glanced up from his screen and sighed. "Don't be evasive, Alice. It's childish."

"Why did you select me for the Alice project?" I didn't resent that I'd been chosen. When I was younger, angrier, I did. But now I knew there was no point in wishing someone else had been unlucky. There was no changing it. But I wanted to know what circumstances set me apart from the other candidates Adrian must have examined.

Adrian hesitated, then shut off his screen and leaned back in his chair. I took the seat across from him.

"There was a list, of course, of the children who had the characteristics I wanted."

"What characteristics?"

Adrian looked at the ceiling. "The list had children between the ages of eight and eleven, with high grades in a Class A school. They had two or fewer distant relatives and a small family unit that lived outside of the city boundaries. They had good DNA, with a genetic predisposition for strength, and no history of family illness. Children who took part in combat based extracurricular activities were higher on the list."

A distant memory of my last year of school came floating back to me. I'd signed up for the school's sharpshooters club. Myself and a handful of other students had stayed after school for an hour or two to practice shooting targets with BB guns. I think my gun had my name painted on the side in blue. Our parents or a staff member would teach and supervise, sometimes it was my mother. There had been a few competitions against other schools.

I must have won a few of them, because I remembered my mother scooping me up with a smile as I showed her my gleaming medal. It was a silver star with a red ribbon falling from it, marking it as top tier. Dad had pinned it to my school uniform the next morning, next to a few others, ruffling my hair.

Shaking off the memory, I met Adrian's eyes. "Their families were loyal to you as well, weren't they?"

Adrian smirked. "Of course. But it would be easier to count those disloyal to me than those who were loyal."

"Even with all that," I said, frowning, "you'd still have a long list. Why me?"

"Luck. Once I had my list, and the results narrowed down with a few other parameters, selections were made randomly."

"Luck?" I asked, incredulity tinting my voice. I corrected it when Adrian gave me a look. "All right, by chance then. But you said _selections_ . . ."

"Of course," Adrian said, opening his screen again. "Every project had prototypes. You were the first success." He glanced up at me, a slight smile on his lips.

My empty expression threatened to crack. It should have been obvious—there were always prototypes for new tech, and Adrian had a System of his own. He wouldn't have gotten it unless he'd known it was safe. I guess at some point, I'd confused the childish assumption that I was the only one with fact. But the idea I'd had predecessors, for however short an amount of time, stunned me.

They were doubtless dead now. If their System implants had been unsuccessful, it would have been disastrous, leaving them brain-dead or disabled. Adrian would have gleaned any information he could from the trials and terminated them. So it was _luck_ , that I was Alice. I thought to ask how many, but realized I didn't want to know.

Adrian must have seen some of what I'd thought on my face, despite my efforts. Or maybe he just knew me well enough to guess. Whichever it was, he smirked and returned his attention to his screen. "I've cleared the feather for more advanced tests. Go back to the lab and resume your watch. You'll have a break in four hours."

I rose, glad to leave the room.

When I reached the lab entrance after a series of locked doors, I had to flash my clearance badge for the fourth and final time. Aashi stood guard. "Alice, reporting."

She looked me over with dark eyes, just glancing at my badge as she scanned it, before opening the door. She'd been my knife instructor for three years. She knew who I was.

Inside the lab, the new staff members caught sight me and slowed in their work, but quickly refocused on their tasks. The old team had begun ignoring me just as much as the other members of security after an hour or so. The new team would as well.

I took my place against the south wall. One member of security stood at each wall, their backs straight and faces empty. Nothing had happened so far, at least as far as they were concerned. Not even an out of date clearance badge to be sorted out.

My gaze fell on the glowing feather at the center of the room. It floated inside a glass tube that could be lifted and lowered as needed. After initial tests confirmed it wasn't generating any harmful rays or such, the containment unit had been downgraded from a nuclear grade containment to this.

I stared at the wall across from me, as I would for the next four hours. With the information I'd just learned, I wasn't looking forward to where my thoughts would take me during that time. I wished I could call my brother.

**Present:**

"Tired?" I snapped. I stood in the center of the café, my stance set.

Sakura met my challenge with a determined glare. She stood a few feet away from me, hands raised but shaking. She gave me a quick nod. A bead of sweat fell from her chin to onto the hardwood. The café was closed, and we'd pushed the tables and chairs away from the center of the room.

We'd just finished sparring. I forced her to go longer than usual to underline the importance of ending a fight quickly. The longer the fight went, the harder it was to survive.

"We'll be done," I said, raising a hand when she slumped in relief, "when you get out of the building." I wanted Sakura to start looking for potential exits when she entered a room, and to learn to use her surroundings. I figured this challenge would get her thinking.

I took a few steps back, placing myself between her and the front door. "Your goal is to get out, and my goal will be to stop you." I narrowed my eyes. "Act as though your life depends on it. If you have to break the furniture or objects, do it, but whatever it takes, don't let me stop you. The one exception is your gun. Don't use it."

She glanced at the revolver on her hip and around the empty café, shuffling back a step before setting her stance. "All right."

"Start," I said.

Sakura darted to the right, turning her back on me and running for the back door.

I was on her in a second, looping an arm around her neck and yanking her back. "Never," I snapped, "give an opponent your back. Feel that?" I tightened the headlock for half a second, putting pressure on the arteries in her neck, then eased up.

"Yeah," she croaked.

"That's a blood choke. If someone puts you in that, you have about three seconds before you're unconscious. What can you do here?"

Sakura lifted her leg and delivered a mock back kick to my knee.

"Good idea, but . . ." I swept my leg out of the way before kicking the back of her knee and dragging her back and down. She lost her balance, and was forced to sit. "Now you can't kick. Which means you can either elbow me and hope I let go, or use your knife if you have one. But you won't have very long, and you'll be panicked. So: always face your opponent if they can reach you."

I let go and held out a hand to help her up. She took it, and I pulled her to her feet.

She rubbed her neck. "Can you teach me that?"

"Sure," I said. "But you'll still need to get out after."

She winced and gave a tired laughed. "Right."

I let her practice on me, showing her how to loop her arms around my neck and lock them against each other. She tightened the hold for just a moment to test it out. The familiar pressure looped around my neck and I had to crush the urge to throw her over my shoulder. But I knew this was Sakura, who wasn't an enemy and would be hurt if I threw her onto the hardwood. The instant I tapped her arm, she let go.

"I did it! Are you okay?"

I nodded. "You did it. I'm fine. If you ever use it hold on for a while, and watch your opponent's hands. They may go for a weapon." I waved her a few paces back. "Now we're going back to the escape exercise."

Her shoulders slumped, but she nodded and raised her hands.

"Begin."

About fifteen minutes later, the front door slid open. Fai paused in the doorway, bags of groceries hanging from his grip. Mokona sat on his shoulder ears perked. Fai glanced us over. "More training?"

"Yes," I said. I had Sakura in an arm bar, giving her a second to see if she could get out of it. When she couldn't, I let go.

"Reset," I said, walking back to the center of the room. Sakura groaned and followed me. The crease between her eyebrows told me she was getting frustrated. Good. Even if she started making rash choices, they'd be new, and may yield new results.

Fai closed the door and made his way to the counter. "What's the objective?"

Sakura set her stance and met my eyes. "I need to get out of the room. Alice-san is trying to stop me."

He leaned against the counter. "Interesting."

"Begin," I said.

Sakura didn't move, letting me come to her. I aimed a punch for her head.

She blocked it, rotating my wrist along her arm and deflecting my momentum to the side before giving me a good shove to the center of my collar bone. It knocked me off balance long enough for her to run for the stairs.

I chased her, but she had enough of a head start that if she was clever, she'd win this time. She made it to her room and slammed the door shut just as I got there. The lock on the door slid into place with a click the instant before I rattled the latch. Beyond the door, her window creaked open.

Satisfied, I walked back downstairs. Fai watched me, eyebrows raised in question. "She did it," I said.

Sakura staggered in through the front door a second later. Leaves stuck out of her hair as she trembled, but she wore a grin. "I did it!" She dropped into the closest chair and slumped over the bar top.

"Well done," I said as Mokona handed her a bottle of water.

"Congratulations, Sakura-chan," Fai said. "Did you jump out of the window?" Sakura nodded. "Smart."

I glanced upstairs. "How will you get back into your room? Do you have a key somewhere?"

Sakura froze, before dropping her face into her hands with a groan.

I snorted. "I'll get it." I exited the room and made my way to the back of the shop. The window was set in the second floor, with a small ledge beneath it before the drop. I took several steps back before running for the building. I jumped and caught the ledge with my hands. Setting my feet against the wall, I hauled myself up and through the window. Once inside, I crossed the room and opened the door.

Downstairs, Sakura had fallen asleep at the table. Fai draped a blanket around her shoulders, looking up as I entered. "She's been working hard lately, hasn't she?"

"She's learning faster that I thought she would." I figured between her weakened condition, and my difficulty teaching, it would be slow going. But Sakura had tackled everything I'd thrown at her with determination and patience.

The door to the café opened with a jingle, and Kurogane and Syaoran entered. Syaoran had a few tears in his shirt, but he looked much better than he did after his last training session. "We're back," he said with a wave.

Fai grinned. "Welcome back."

Syaoran caught sight of Sakura and approached. "Is she all right?"

"Just tired from training," I said.

"Sakura jumped out a window!" Mokona added.

Syaoran started. "What?"

I sighed, waving down his alarm and giving Mokona an exasperated look. "The goal of the training was to get out of the house while I tried to stop her. She jumped out her window. It was a smart move." I plucked a leaf from her hair.

Kurogane took a seat at the counter next to Fai. He met my eyes. "The kid and I are going to City Hall tomorrow to ask about the new oni. You should come."

I crossed my arms. "I will. It's unlikely they'll tell us anything they haven't already heard, but it's worth trying." It was also a safe question to ask. Every oni hunter we'd met had been openly interested, so if we asked city hall, they likely wouldn't care. I turned to Syaoran. "You can't let anyone know you recognize Seishirou as your teacher. If they think you know him, they may suspect you're his accomplice." I was hesitant to say that out loud, but I decided the benefits of the warning outweighed the risks.

Syaoran nodded. "I'll be careful."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I glanced around the alley before turning to the ladder behind me. Rust flaked off it in some places, but not badly enough to worry me about its structural integrity. I turned to Sakura. "Wait until I reach the top, then follow me. Keep your back to the ladder while you wait and keep your eyes open. If you see any oni, you have my permission to shoot."

Sakura nodded, drawing her revolver and turning to face the street. We were nearing oni territory, and though we hadn't seen any yet, I didn't want both of us on the ladder at the same time. Sakura would cover me while I climbed, then I would cover her from the roof as she followed.

The building may have been an old office. It stood two stories high, with walls of brick, and abandoned. The few windows that still had glass were covered in dust. Inside, overturned chairs lay among forgotten papers.

I reached the top and stood, gripping my rifle again. A quick scan of the darkened street showed it was still empty. "All right, come up."

Sakura holstered her weapon and began the climb, the ladder shuddering slightly. When she reached the top, I offered her a hand, pulling her up the rest of the way.

"Why are we up here?" she asked.

I gestured for her to follow and started for the far side of the roof. "When you have a ranged weapon, you don't have to meet a fight head on. With a gun, you almost always have the advantage when you have distance. That way, the enemy can't take your gun or strike back unless they have one as well." I pointed to the dark alley below. Puddles were scattered along the street and shone in the moonlight. "I don't know if this will work, but if we can get the oni to show down there, while we're up here . . ." I looked to Sakura and raised an eyebrow.

Her eyes lit up and she grinned. "Then we have the advantage."

"Exactly."

We reached the edge of the roof and knelt. There was a low wall along the rim, only a couple feet high and perfect for cover. I set my rifle on the wall, aiming down at the street below. The new silencer glinted on the end of the barrel. It was a small metal ring, no more than an inch thick, which made it the most compact silencer I'd ever seen. I found it odd that Outo country, technologically behind Elpedite, had invented it. It was just another thing about this place that wasn't quite right.

Sakura crouched next to me, her revolver in her hands, pointed down. She leaned over the edge of the roof, looking down onto the alley. "How do you plan to make them appear?"

"I figured we'd try this." I opened my backpack and withdrew an empty soda bottle. "But if they can fly or we need to run, we're leaving the way we came. You'll go down the ladder first and I'll follow. Understand?"

"Okay," Sakura said, glancing from the street below back to the ladder.

"This will be a longer distance than you're used to, but it will be good practice. And don't worry, I'll catch anything you miss."

"I won't miss," she said, aiming into the street below and waiting.

I snorted. She'd miss at some point, but it was nice that she felt confident. I took the bottle and tossed it into the street. It shattered against the pavement, the moonlight catching on the shards as they spun across the ground. Both hands on my rifle, I watched the street through the sights.

For several heartbeats, nothing moved. Then, in the shadows of the gutter, a shape bubbled up. It solidified as a giant lizard, a single lantern eye dominating it's face. It twitched, looking around.

_**Bang!** _

The oni recoiled from the bullet that hit it straight in the eye, its limbs already dissolving. Next to me, Sakura's revolver trailed smoke.

"Nice shot," I said. "But can you do it again?" Sakura wasn't a bad shot for a beginner, and she always hit her first shot directly, but after that things were less certain. It must have been the 'Luck' that Fai had mentioned. It was the same thing that won her the games she'd played. If she was smart, that first lucky shot could be her greatest weapon.

"Definitely!" She said.

When the next lizard appeared, a little further down the street, she fired again. The oni's leg burst into motes of shadow. It snarled, stumbled, and skittered toward us on its remaining legs.

I followed it with my sights. When Sakura fired again, the concrete next to the oni sparked. I fired, nailing it in the eye. It skidded to a stop, motionless.

Three more appeared, one of them spotting us and dashing our way. "Take the farther two," I said.

Sakura fired while I aimed at the approaching one. I pulled the trigger, hitting the oni in the chest. The last oni moved in our direction, but Sakura's shot landed perfectly in its eye. Another shadow shifted in the street, and I tilted my rifle to keep the coalescing creature in my sights.

On the wall under us, a dark shape darted out of the window and surged up the wall.

I had half a second to flinch back and process the flash of claws before they raked across the left side of my face and eye. Sakura gasped. I fell back with a snarl, raising my rifle and shooting the oni point blank as it tried to scramble over the roof's edge. It croaked and fell back into air.

Scrambling to my feet, I clamped a hand over the left side of my face. "Run!" I dropped my rifle to my side, letting the strap across my shoulder hold it, and drew my pistol. Adrenaline pumped through me as I tried to determine how bad the wound was. I couldn't feel any blood, but I had my gloves on. It felt like the claws had gone right over my eye.

Sakura shot to her feet, reaching for me, her eyes wide.

"No," I snapped. "Run for the ladder! Go!"

She spun and sprinted across the roof. I followed, shuddering as I looked over my shoulder. Two lizards darted over the edge of the roof, their eyes rolling to focus on us. I fired at them, one handed. It took me five shots to get them both and I had to crush the desire to activate The System.

 _Of course they can climb_ , I snarled internally. They were lizards, but it hadn't occurred to me they could scale walls. The soldiers I'd fought never had.

Sakura reached the ladder and rushed down it. I set my back to her, firing at another oni darting toward us. A distant part of me registered the lack of pain, but the adrenaline was probably masking it.

"Come down!" Sakura yelled.

I spun, holstering my gun and dropping onto the ladder. I had to take my hand away from my face to grip the side rails. I propped my feet against the side as well and slid down.

My feet hit the ground with a thud and I pressed my hand back over the wound. "Go! Go!"

We ran, weaving through alleys and around warehouses until we reached a well-lit street. A shopfront marked it as a civilian street that should be free of oni.

"Stop," I said, slowing my walk. I still couldn't feel the real pain. There was some, but it felt more like someone had raked their nails across my face, not blade-like claws. The adrenaline should be wearing off more than that now.

Sakura hovered in front of me, hands drifting over the side of my face. "Are you . . ." She bit her lip.

I took a breath, and pulled my hand away. The yellow street lamp reflected off the leather of my clean glove.

"What . . ." I breathed. I met Sakura's gaze, seeing her with both eyes, but she looked just as shocked as I was.

"You're fine!" she said, her relieved smile shifting to bafflement. "How?"

I shook my head, pressing my hand against my face and checking it again for blood. Nothing. "I don't know."

Sakura leaned in, her gaze locked on my left eye. "There's nothing there."

"But you saw it claw me, right?" I asked. I may have thought this was another hallucination caused by The System's shutdown, like what had happened when I'd been washing dishes.

"It did," Sakura said, looking back over her shoulder the way we'd come.

If Mokona had been here, I may have asked them to take us to the next world right then. This place had me on edge, but this was just insane. There was no possible way for me to walk away from that strike unharmed, but I had anyway.

I ran a hand through my hair, glaring at the cement, then at the moon hanging above us. "Let's go back to the café."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I slumped against the counter, propping my head in my hand. Fai regarded me with raised eyebrows. "Someone looks tired."

"Yeah," I sighed. I hadn't slept at all. The incident with the oni last night had my nerves on fire. Every shifting shadow had been an oni forming in the corner of my room, every glint of light the lens of someone watching. And I couldn't let go of what had happened. I couldn't negotiate how I'd gotten away unscathed.

With The System broken I could have attributed it to another hallucination. But Sakura had seen it too. We'd spoken and agreed that I _should_ be injured. Which meant I had either hallucinated Sakura as well, which would mean I was truly going insane, or something bigger than I could imagine was happening. Both possibilities left a sick dread swimming in my stomach.

"Rabbit should have some coffee," Mokona chirped, sliding a mug over to me.

"Thank you," I said, taking it with both hands. The caffeine wouldn't get rid of the foreboding hanging on me, but it would wake me up.

"So you and the puppies are going to city hall today, right?" Fai asked, sipping from his own mug.

I'd actually forgotten in my distraction. "Yes. Do you know where they are?" Footsteps descended the stairs the moment I'd asked. Fai smirked and pointed over my shoulder. "Well, there's Big Puppy."

Kurogane scowled at Fai. "It's too early for this shit."

"Is Syaoran awake?" I asked. I wanted to go to city hall soon, just to have something to do.

Kurogane cut a glance my way as he sat at the bar. "The kid should be down in a minute."

I nodded, focusing on the mug in my hands.

"You look like shit."

"Hmm." I kept my eyes fixed ahead. Again, the smarter part of me knew I should try to make nice with Kurogane. But I was too stressed right now. Any conversation requiring a level head was not gonna happen today. So instead I watched the coffee swirl in my mug.

Syaoran descended the stairs, his sword at his hip. "Are we leaving now?"

"Food first. We'll eat as we walk," Kurogane said, rising to retrieve three muffins from the kitchen. He tossed one to Syaoran and the other to me. I downed the rest of my coffee and rose. Fai took the empty mug as I thanked him.

"Good luck," Fai and Mokona said in unison, waving goodbye.

Syaoran swung the door shut behind us. "Thank you!"

Kurogane took the lead as Syaoran and I trailed behind. Syaoran fell in step beside me. "How did oni hunting go last night?"

I overrode the desire to sigh with a bite of muffin instead. "It was fine," I said once I'd swallowed. I didn't want to mention what happened. If it did, both Syaoran and Kurogane would want me to recount the event, which would wind me up even tighter. I'd tell them by tomorrow, or Sakura would tell Syaoran, who'd tell Kurogane. But for now, I just didn't want to go over it again. When we paused at a street corner, I caught Kurogane giving me a look. I realized my free hand rested on my holstered gun. I dropped my hand to my side.

The trip to city hall passed in a blur, only clearing when we reached the marble steps. Inside, we weaved through people to approach an open desk. The Emma behind it greeted us with a smile. "Hello. Welcome to city hall. Can I assist you with anything?"

"Yeah," Kurogane said, "we want to know about the oni that's been attacking civilians and controlling other oni."

Emma smile vanished. "There is no such thing."

I grimaced. Both Syaoran and I had seen it, along with many other hunters, so it did exist. But if she was denying it, we were probably asking a dangerous question.

Syaoran leaned across the desk, brows drawn. "I've seen it. I know it exists, and it controls the other oni."

"Syaoran," I hissed, gripping his shoulder and pulling him back. He stared back over his shoulder at me in confusion.

Emma's expression remained cold as her eyes slid from me back to Syaoran. "We cannot release any information regarding 'creatures that control the oni.'"

"So there is information," Syaoran said.

"How do we get it?" Kurogane asked.

I glanced back. No one was moving toward us, but I could have sworn some of the other Emmas were watching. I'd thought these were safe questions to ask, since all the oni hunters were gossiping about it, but maybe they just knew where it was safe to talk. "We should leave," I said, keeping my voice low.

"Why?" Kurogane snapped.

Syaoran turned to me, his expression firm, but a hint of an apology in his voice. "Se—This oni could know something about the feather."

Emma interrupted us. "Only oni hunters may enter the area where this information is retrieved. As such, you all qualify." Her eyes slid over me and the others, pausing for a moment on each of us. "However, this area is dangerous, and only seven percent of hunters survive."

Kurogane grinned. "Fine by me."

I clenched my jaw, realizing we couldn't retreat now. This Emma knew who we were. She'd probably logged our identities and might have us arrested. She handed Syaoran a photo of a stone tower stretching into a blue sky, and a map. "This is the Tower of Little People," she said. "If you can reach the top, you may retrieve the information you want."

I'd been wondering why an official hadn't approached us yet, with a quiet offer to speak more in another room. This tower must be the place they sent their problems. Although it was strange we weren't getting escorted there. So far as we knew, anyway. I grimaced.

Syaoran accepted the papers. "Thank you."

I followed Kurogane and Syaoran out of city hall without a word. As we exited, I glanced over my shoulder to see Emma, watching us leave. She waved and gave me a smile.

Syaoran led the way to the tower as I waited for reason to hit him, or for the people bustling around us to leave. Everyone's eyes seemed to linger on us a little too long, and their gazes seemed a bit too empty. I glanced over my shoulder as we turned street corners, waiting to see someone follow with their eyes locked on us. There was no one.

We reached a white stone bridge stretching over a river. On the other side was a grove of trees, and above that, the tower loomed. People passed the bridge on the side we come from, but no one crossed it, and no one waited on the other side.

"Really?" I said, once we were halfway across and out of anyone's earshot. "You guys are going in there?"

Syaoran blinked. "You're not?"

"Of course not." I stopped. They did as well, turning to face me. "Do you not realize how wrong this is? _Think!_ Why would they send us here?" There was no logic to the explanation they'd given us. If information was classified, you didn't just hand it out to the first person capable of punching hard enough. You guarded it against them.

Syaoran glanced from the tower to me. "But this is where Emma said the information was."

"If you're worried about the challenge," Kurogane said, "then you don't have to come."

"It's not a challenge!" I shouted. "It's a trap! That's the only way this makes sense. We're oni hunters, powerful combatants, who want classified information. If they flat out tell us no, there's the potential we'd turn violent. So, to avoid that, or _contain_ it, they send us here." I pointed to the tower. "An environment they control, where they could have any number of traps of ambushes."

"Emma said it would be dangerous though," Syaoran said. "They didn't hide that from us."

"And that scares off the undetermined," I said. "If we aren't scared off by the 'seven percent survival' rate, then we're not going to give up at a flat 'you're not allowed to have the information.'"

Kurogane met my eyes for several seconds before gazing at the tower. "If this is their line of defense, then we can break it and find our info. The situation is still the same: we fight and win, we get what we want."

"You can't fight them when they have all the control." I swept a hand towards the tower. "If you go in there, you give them that."

Syaoran gazed up at the building, brows draw. "I have to go. If there's a chance I can find Her Highness's feather . . ."

"And what happens if you don't come back?" I asked. He turned to look at me, surprised. "If you die, and leave Sakura on her own, what then? She'll have to navigate countless world with a handful of memories and a condition that has her passing out at random." I didn't mention that the rest of us would help her, but if Syaoran did die I wasn't sure what that would do to Sakura's head. He was one of the few constants she had right now and she trusted him.

"I won't die," he said, without hesitation. "I have to do this, so I will. And I'll come back."

He stared me down, his face set in determination. He was doing this and nothing I said would sway him. I looked beyond him to the tower, grey stone against a blue sky, then to Kurogane. "And if he goes in?"

Kurogane grinned. "I'm itching for a good fight."

They were going to die.

Kurogane was vicious, but the most powerful person in the world couldn't shrug off a bullet, or breathe poison air, or stand against a bomb. They were going to die.

And I didn't want them to.

I couldn't place why. But Syaoran was a good person, and Sakura cared about him. Kurogane was stubborn, and he made me uneasy, but not the same way Adrian or his people did. I didn't worry about knife in my back when I turned away from him. And he'd pulled me out of the way of the oni's attack our first night here. He'd probably saved my life.

It felt like I owed them, like I should go with them. If I did, I might know about weapons they didn't and warn them. But that would only increase their chances a tiny bit. And I couldn't use The System, or trust my own senses right now. We'd probably all die. I'd never find Nathaniel.

I was being forced to choose again, between my brother and everyone else. I'd thought that if I ever got free of Adrian, I wouldn't have to make those choices anymore. But here I was again. Would I make the same choice I always did?

"You shouldn't come."

I started, meeting Kurogane's gaze. He looked down at me with a cool glare. "You're not in the right state for this," he said. "And you've still got to find your brother, right?"

I looked away, shuttering my expression before anything could bleed out. Rather than relax me, his words deepened my guilt. I didn't know why. He was giving me an excuse to leave, that should relieve me. "You'll die if you go in there," I said.

Kurogane snorted. "Relax." He grinned, mostly teeth. "It's not like I'm new to this." Kurogane held his sword propped on his shoulder, the tower behind him. Based on the magic attacks I'd seen him use, he could probably bring it down. If the playing field proved unfair, he could destroy it.

He turned away from me and began walking. "Tell the magician we'll be home in a few hours."

Syaoran gave me a smile. "And please tell Her Highness I'll be home as well."

I sighed after a moment. There wasn't nothing more I could do. They were going and I had to wait and see if they came back. "Be careful." It was all I could think to say.

Syaoran gave me smile. "We will." He ran to catch up with Kurogane. Kurogane raised a hand to show he'd heard, but didn't turn around.

I watched them until they crossed the bridge and vanished into the trees.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"They should be climbing the tower now," I said, finishing my recount of the events in town hall and the bridge. I stopped pacing the café floor, crossing my arms to suppress my nervous energy.

Across the counter from me, Fai waved a hand dismissively. "They'll be fine."

Sakura nodded, her expression a little less sure, but still bright. "I'm sure Syaoran-kun can do it."

Their confidence eased my nerves, which didn't make much sense. We had no idea what awaited the others within the tower, but just hearing the words helped a little.

Fai leaned across the counter with a smile. "Now, would you two mind giving me a little help me around the shop?"

"Sure."

"Of course," Sakura said at the same time.

As it turned out, a 'little help' included washing dishes, sweeping the shopfront, cleaning the windows, and wiping down the tables. While Sakura and I stood hunched over one of the oak tables, scrubbing at a sticky spot of something that refused to come off, the front door swung open with a jingle.

I looked up and froze. A man stood in the doorway, a hood covering his face and a cloak drifting around him. It was the figure I'd seen on the power lines. Seishirou.

His eyes looked out at me from beneath his hood, and in them I saw Adrian's stare. It was a calculating gaze hidden behind a charming smile. I didn't know how, but I was sure he already knew I was armed, and how fast I could draw. Shit.

I didn't know why he was here, but I needed to keep things calm as long as I could. I put on one of Adrian's perfect smiles. I wasn't sure how well I'd done it, but I kept it on. "Hello, welcome to the Cat's Eye. I apologize, but we're closed today." Out of the corner of my eye, Sakura gave me a confused glance. My bright tone probably seemed strange.

The man scanned the café before meeting my eyes. "I was looking for a pair of oni hunters I heard lived here."

The kitchen door opened, and Fai stepped out, Mokona on his shoulder. He paused, his smile extinguished in an instant. I wasn't sure what it was about the man that tipped Fai off. Maybe he'd seen the same thing I had in the man's eyes. Or maybe he just knew a pretender when he saw one. Mokona's ears drooped as they went silent.

The man's gaze lingered on Fai before returning to me, expectantly. "They're out," I said. I didn't know if he was looking for Sakura and I, or Kurogane and Syaoran, but I didn't want him near us or them.

"Looking for the puppy pair?" Fai asked, his eyes sliding to me. I nodded, not taking my eyes off of the stranger. "What business do you have with them?" He stepped further into the room. He slipped a smile back in place, but it was brittle now. I wanted to tell him to stay by the door or behind the counter, somewhere with cover or an escape if this escalated.

I handed Sakura my rag as Fai spoke. "Take this to the back," I said, my voice low. It was a flimsy excuse to get her out of the room, but I was hoping the man would be uninterested in her. Sakura took the rag, giving Seishirou and uneasy glance, and walked to the kitchen.

The stranger's eyes followed Sakura, and my hand twitched for my gun. Then the kitchen door swung shut behind her and his attention was back on Fai and me. For just a second, I thought his smile had become more a smirk.

"My business with them . . ." The shadows beneath the man's cloak expanded, bleeding across the hardwood until they formed two pools on either side of him. I rested my hand on my gun. Two hulking, cat-like figures rose from the shadows. Each one planted huge claws against the hardwood floor and watched us with a cluster of eyes. They stood there unmoving. My hand was on my gun, ready to draw if they even twitched. The man's smile remained frozen. "I'd like to make them go away."

Fai propped his hands on his hips. "You're Seishirou-san, aren't you?"

The man nodded. "So Syaoran has told you about me?"

"Why are you after them?" I asked, my smile gone. Instead, I had the empty expression I'd always worn around Adrian. I wouldn't let this man latch onto any fear or anger I had. He'd decided to kill Syaoran and Kurogane, not us. Yet. If I stayed in control of my emotions, I might be able to direct him somewhere else.

"Syaoran and his partner are in my way. I'll need to remove them to find the two I'm searching for." His eyes flicked over me. "For a short time, I thought you might have been one of them. Your body doesn't work the way you're used to, does it?"

Unease swept through me, but I forced down the urge to tense my muscles. He must have noticed the night the wolves chased me, watching my aborted movements as I forced myself not to use the System. If he knew about The System, that was a problem, but he'd made it sound like he knew and didn't care. Was he looking for someone else with technology implants?

But he'd decided I wasn't them, and was therefore uninterested in me. So my goal was still to get him to leave.

"If you're looking for Syaoran and Kurogane, check Mirai Park," I said. I knew Syaoran and Kurogane were in the tower, roughly north of us, and Mirai Park was to the south. It was a place I could direct him that would minimize the risk of him actually crossing paths with his targets.

Out of the corner of my eye, Fai shot me an angry look. He knew they were in the tower, so he was probably playing along.

"You would give up the locations of your companions so easily?" Seishirou asked.

I let a little irritation bleed into my voice. "They're hardly my companions. And I'm not about to make my life more difficult to protect theirs." I tried to channel Adrian's personality. Something calculating and confident. Seishirou needed to think I wouldn't protect Syaoran and Kurogane. He needed to think I was telling the truth.

Seishirou's eyes drilled into me. I knew he could see every crack in my mask and every tic that might have told him I was lying.

"Thank you," Seishirou said. "I believe you."

I didn't let my shoulder's slump in relief. It was great that he'd believed me, but I didn't any piece of my body language to tip him off, so I stayed frozen.

"But," he took one step back, "I'd rather prepare for all possibilities."

The oni flanking him lunged.

I tore my gun from my holster, dodging the snapping jaws of the nearest creature. Aiming for Seishirou, I fired. Another oni appeared, darting in the take the bullet. Next to me, Fai ducked under the sweeping claws of one creature. His leg shuddered as he landed on it with a gasp. The oni looming over him moved to slash his legs.

I fired three shots into the oni's face, gripping Fai's arm in my free hand and yanking him to his feet. "The kitchen. Go!" I shot at the three oni closing in on us, forcing them back a few steps. If we could force a bottleneck, we might have a chance.

More shadows swam at the edges of the room, rising and forming more enemies. I scanned the room, but I'd lost track of Seishirou. Fai and I made it a few steps towards the kitchen before one of the oni swept his legs out from under him. They were closing in too fast.

I swung my gun up to aim at the oni just as another lunged in from the side and raked its claws across my arm, pushing my gun down as I pulled the trigger. The shot punched a hole in the hardwood.

Swinging my arm back up, I slammed an elbow into the oni's face and snatched my knife from my belt with my free hand to slash at the creature. It recoiled, but before I could check on Fai, another oni loomed over me.

_**Bang!** _

The oni's head snapped to the side before it began dripping apart. I followed the movement back to Sakura, standing behind the bar and glaring down her revolver. She fired another shot, aimed somewhere over my head.

Fai stumbled as he got back to his feet. I swung my knife at the oni that tried to fall on Fai. Distantly, I noticed neither Fai nor I were bleeding, despite being struck.

When Fai was up, I shoved the hilt of my knife into his hand and spun to put my back to him, freeing my second knife from my belt. I slashed at the closest shadow, catching it across the chest. It snarled, unflinching.

The oni before me raised its arm to strike, but with Fai behind me, and more oni on either side, there was nowhere for me to dodge. I raised my arms.

The blow landed, and one of the claws hooked around my wrist, wrenching it to the side and throwing me to the floor. I landed on my back and raised my gun, firing at the oni above me until it stopped moving. Another oni rushed at me, barreling through tables and chairs. I swiveled on my back to fire more shots at it. I managed three before it swung its arm down. I tumbled across the floor, and when I pushed myself to my feet, my gun was gone. I scanned the hardwood, but before I could find it, I had to duck under the swipe of a pursuing oni. I slashed at its torso as I recovered, but it barely flinched.

Stepping back before it could strike me again, I scanned the room again. Fai was still on his feet, Sakura reloading her gun with shaking hands.

The oni above me rose onto its back legs, both its arms raised above it. I pivoted to the right, letting the strike land just next to me, and drove my knife down into its arm.

The oni stepped back in the same moment several oni beyond it did, leaving a clear path leading straight to Seishirou. He held my gun aimed at me, a smile on his face.

He fired.

The impact to my chest threw me back against a table. I kept my feet, my free hand flying to the wound. He'd _shot_ me. My blood froze and I kept my glare locked on Seishirou, refusing to look down.

"Alice-san!" I wasn't sure who'd yelled, but in that moment I _hated_ that name. I'd never wanted the name; Adrian had given it to me. Now that I was away from him, why had I kept it? I'd been shot in the chest, with no armor on. That name was probably the last thing I'd hear. I pushed the thought away.

I glared at Seishirou, a brief flash of regret igniting in me as I pulled back my arm to throw my knife. I knew I wouldn't make it, but I wanted to try. He adjusted his aim and pulled the trigger.

The café vanished, leaving a black void all around me. The previous sensations—the pain, the pressure of the floor beneath me feet, the crashing of the fight—all vanished.

But I was still here . . . or at least, processing the lack of everything. My panic and confusion was just starting to boil over when a sterile voice spoke.

" _Game over. Returning player to lobby."_

A sensation like waking up from surgery—dizzy and weak-limbed—hit me. I opened my eyes. I wasn't sure if it was a reflex or the urge to shove something away, but my hands flew up, hitting something in front of me with a thud.

I squinted at the pane of glass my hands pressed against, my black gloves flexing as I moved. I followed the glass to see it curved around me in a dome. I glanced down, finding I was back in my clothes from Elpedite. The ones I'd sold weeks ago.

With a hum, the top half of the glass rose. I stood halfway out of a seat in the center. As soon as it was open far enough, I leapt out of the strange device. My legs threatened to buckle as I landed. I took a second to shake out the pins and needles running through them.

Once I'd gotten my balance, I looked around. I stood on a thin metal bridge, just a bit wider across then my arms would reach. The room beyond stretched up, down, and away, and scattered through it were more glass orbs, all connected by bridges. Each one held a sleeping figure.

I stood unmoving, gazing at the space around me. The haze of sleep was clearing, but my confusion was not. I couldn't figure out how I wasn't dead, or where I was now. Maybe it had been a dream? But then, when had the dream started?

Moving a little way down the bridge, I spotted Syaoran in one of the globes. Running to it, I pressed a hand against the glass. "Hey! Syaoran!" He didn't move. As I watched his face, a flash of blue light flickered over his relaxed expression. It was The System, scanning his face. The System was on, and working. I immediately ran a complete scan, looking for any malfunctions in the program, or any injuries to myself. Everything came back clear.

I took a deep breath and looked down the bridge. Fai slept in the next pod over, next to Kurogane and Sakura. All of them sat motionless, little lights flashing on the machinery behind them. As I watched them, I ran through the events of Outo. The voice I'd heard after dying had said 'game over' and now The System was working and my old clothes were back. It was like Outo had never happened. Then it clicked.

"Damn it!" I snarled, my hands curling into fists. It was virtual reality! Outo was just a simulation. It would explain the strange government system, the oni, the injuries that didn't hurt or bleed, and how I wasn't dead. All that time, it had been a _game_.

There was a beep off to my left. I turned to see Fai's globe crack open. I glanced at Syaoran a final time before running to the other pod.

Beyond the glass, Fai blinked awake. I gripped the edge of the glass dome as it eased open, and shoved it the rest of the way. I didn't like the idea of it snapping shut again.

Fai blinked awake and ran a shaking hand over his face. He hadn't noticed me yet.

"Fai," I said. "It's all right. You're okay."

He met my eyes, surprise lighting his face. "Alice-san?" His smile returned. "I'm glad to see you're alive." His gaze shifted beyond me to our surroundings. His eyebrows rose. "Well this is interesting. Do you have any idea what's going on?"

I offered him a hand and pulled him from the pod, steadying him when his legs wobbled. "Outo was something called virtual reality, I think. It's like . . . a dream. A dream made by a computer. It controls everything that happens to you, and it feels like reality. People in my world use it for training."

I'd used it years ago, before I had The System. After I'd had The System implanted, it was deemed too complicated and risky to try to make the technology compatible with the virtual reality machines. Most people in the military had used it for training. Otherwise, it was illegal, having been ruled too immersive a distraction for a productive society. A perfect world was easy to get lost in.

Fai took in our surroundings as I spoke. "Well, that would explain a few things. But how did we get here? And what is this world, if it's not Outo?"

I shook my head, reaching for the memory and expecting to find nothing. But a fuzzy recollection formed. We'd dropped into this world, directly into the seats of the pods. The details were missing, ironically, in a dream-like quality. The pods had shut and activated before we could get out, and then we'd been in Outo.

"Wait, I remember—"

"Dropping in here?" Fai asked with a smirk. "It just came back to me too."

"I'm sorry about that," a woman's voice said.

We turned to see a woman, her hands clasped in front of her. She had a mic and headset on, and regarded us with an apologetic expression. "Your circumstances were unique."

"Who are you?" I asked, my hand landing in the space my holster should have been. Irritation flared as I realized I was once again without a gun.

"I'm Chitose. I'm the manager in charge of Outo."

Well, she'd done a shit job of it. Who lets people land in their gaming consoles from thin air, shrugs, and hits the start button? I knew some of the steps must have been automated, but there should be _some_ safety checks.

I'd just opened my mouth to berate her when Fai put a hand on my shoulder. I shot him a look, but sighed and stepped back. He'd be a better speaker than me, and therefore had a better chance at keeping things civil with this woman and getting the info we wanted.

"Nice to meet you," Fai said. "But would you mind waking our friends up? I'm afraid they don't know that Outo is a game, and are probably in some distress."

I glanced at Sakura's pod, looking for any sign of her waking. But she remained still. She must have been alone in the café after Fai 'died,' so why hadn't Seishirou killed her too?

Chitose shook her head. "I'm sorry, but our control of Outo is . . . limited at the moment. Otherwise we would have woken everyone already."

"What do you mean?" I snapped. "Even if some of your machines have broken, you should have some safety protocols in place."

Chitose half turned away. "If you'll follow me, I'll explain. I can't be away from our control room for long."

Fai and I glanced at each other. He shrugged. "What else can we do?"

"Fine," I sighed. I swept my gaze over the room once again, but this time I used The System to map it and mark the location of our companions.

Chitose turned away, waving for us to follow. "You are currently in Fairy Park, the number one amusement park in the world. Our top attraction is the virtual reality world: Outo. Players can choose almost any profession, including the hunting monsters in an adventure style." She shot an apologetic look over her shoulder. "Most of our first time players enjoy the game more if they don't know it's a game. So our software will wipe your memory of entering the game, leaving the player with the impression that everything they're experiencing is real. However, upon waking, those memories will return within minutes."

We exited the room into a white hallway. What looked like a notice board hung on one wall, and several doors ran down either side. We headed for a set of double-doors stood at the end of the short walk. "These two roles are supposed to stay separate from each other. The kind of person who chooses a non-combative lifestyle would be terrified and unprepared to face the monsters of the game."

"But the oni have been attacking civilians," Fai said, a question in his tone.

She nodded and swiped a key card over a scanner by the door. A green light switched on as the door clicked open. She held the door for us as we entered.

A wall of screens lit the dark room. I recognized the lobby of Outo's city hall in one and the main street in another. Rows of desks faced the screens, and the people behind them clattered away at keyboards or spoke quietly into headsets.

"The oni attacks were the first of the symptoms we noticed. Other glitches followed in various areas." Chitose looked at me. "One of the bugs happened to you. You input an action, but the glitch undid it. You were washing dishes, I believe."

So that's what that had been. A bug in an unstable video game, not The System frying my brain. The images that had haunted me for weeks, wires rusting in my arms and power cells leaking into my head, vanished. I sighed. Even though I'd pretty much figured it out, it was a relief to know I wasn't losing my mind.

"We suspected you for a while," Chitose said, her eyes sweeping over me. "You have implants we aren't familiar with, and we weren't sure what their purpose was." I stiffened and glanced around the room. Everyone remained at their desks. No one tried to approach. How much did they know?

Fai glanced between Chitose and me. "What did you suspect Alice-san of?"

"There's a hacker, isn't there?" I asked. It made sense, if they were losing control of their game and looking for an outside source. It was the same reason I had The System and not a robot. You couldn't hack a person.

Chitose shut her eyes and sighed. "Yes. We now know who is manipulating the game, but with our diminishing control, we can't stop them." She swept an arm back towards the desks. "Our team is working on an emergency shutdown, but we keep getting blocked."

Fai raised a hand. "Sorry," he glanced at me, "but 'hacker' isn't translating for me. What is it?"

I faced him. "So a computer is a machine that thinks, and it uses those thoughts to accomplish a goal. A hacker is someone who tries to change the machine's thoughts. Usually they want to steal information, or change the computer's goal, or just break it." I was almost certain Seishirou was the culprit. He must be if he had control of the oni.

Fai ran a hand over is mouth. "So a hacker is controlling Outo?"

"Not entirely," Chitose said. Behind her, four of the screen's broadcasting Outo went black.

"Damn it!" someone snarled, as several others in the room sighed. A new flurry of motion swept across the desks.

Chitose winced. "But we are at a disadvantage here. Time is condensed in Outo. Which means even though you've only been awake for approximately ten minutes, two hours have passed in the game."

I grit my teeth. Two hours since we'd 'died.' Syaoran and Kurogane had probably returned to the café by now, and I wasn't sure what had happened to Sakura. Seishirou wanted to kill Syaoran and Kurogane, but he needed to move efficiently. Killing Fai and I was probably going to piss them off, and if Seishirou had told Sakura where they could find him, they'd hunt him down.

"Can we get a message to the people who entered Outo with us?" I asked.

"Sorry, no. That function has been shut down for some time."

"Then would you be able to tell us what happened to Sakura-chan?" Fai asked. "She was the girl in the café with us."

"I can check."

She led us to a small office, took a seat at her desk and began typing away at her keyboard. I was briefly reminded of the times I'd stood in front of Adrian's desk, waiting for him to finish his work, but shrugged it off. "Here." Chitose turned the screen to face us. "Remember: this already happened."

I recognized the café, and the shadows darting across it. The image was clear, but there was no sound. Onscreen, Seishirou aimed for me and pulled the trigger. It must have been the second shot, because I was already facing him. I jerked from the impact, then my figure blurred, dissolving away.

The Fai and Sakura onscreen froze, staring at where I'd been. That had probably shattered their focus. Then the fight rushed back into motion. Fai managed to duck and weave between the oni strikes, but with all of them focused on him, he was bound to lose. One caught him on the injured leg. As soon as he hit the floor, the two other fell upon him. I winced as he vanished.

I couldn't see Sakura's expression, but she must have been panicked by now. She fired on the oni, emptying her revolver and continuing to pull the trigger when she'd run out of bullets. One oni leapt over the bar and swiped at her hand, sending the gun spinning across the room.

Sakura fell back against the wall, clutching her hands as every oni in the room froze. Seishirou stood in the center of it, facing Sakura. After a moment, Sakura's mouth moved as if she was responding to him. Her eyes were red-rimmed as she glared at him.

The oni next to Sakura struck again, knocking her to the floor. She didn't move, but she didn't disappear either. Then the oni vanished back into Seishirou's shadow, and he strode out of the café.

I glanced at Fai out of the corner of my eye. He glared at the screen, his smile long gone. I suspected I wore a similar look.

"When did Kurogane and Syaoran return?" I asked.

"An hour later, their time," Chitose said, hitting a few buttons. The shadows on the café floor shifted about a foot across the hardwood. A moment later, Kurogane threw the café door open, and he and Syaoran rushed in. They paused, taking in the broken furniture and claw marks across the floor and walls.

Mokona bounced onto the bar, waving them over to Sakura. Syaoran sprinted to her. Moments later she rubbed at her eyes and spoke, Syaoran's hand resting on her shoulder. Kurogane stood over both of them, angled toward the door with his hand on his sword.

Sakura got to her feet with Syaoran's help and collected her revolver from the floor, and after hesitating, my pistol. A spark a gratitude lit my chest, and a bit of guilt. I wished I could tell her we were okay.

Syaoran moved towards the door. He must have said something, because Sakura stiffened and spun on him, her shoulders bunched. She looked angrier than I'd ever seen her. Syaoran stared at her as she gestured toward the door, raising his hands in defense. Sakura shouted something, pointing to herself, then the door. I realized Syaoran must have said he was going to find Seishirou, and Sakura didn't want him fighting the man who'd just killed two people in front of her. Syaoran shook his head and looked to Kurogane. The man shrugged, crossing his arms.

"They stayed in the café," Chitose said. "But things are deteriorating quickly." She hit a button. On the screen, Sakura, Syaoran, and Kurogane darted across the café, some of the debris disappearing as they moved. They snapped back to regular speed when an oni clawed its way through the window. Kurogane swung his sword and decapitated the monster before it could climb all the way inside. He leaned out the door for a moment before snapping something at Syaoran and Sakura. They moved away from the windows and drew their weapons.

Chitose turned the screen away from us. "The oni grow in numbers at this point, and your friends had to leave the café. We lost track of them after that."

My ears popped as the pressure in the room suddenly increased. An instant later, a shock wave rolled through the room, rattling the computer and picture frames on the wall. "What was that?" I asked.

"I don't know," Chitose said, her fingers flying over her keys.

Behind us, the door to the office burst open. Fai and I turned to see a woman in a suit, panting. "Ma'am, check the park feed." Alarm tinged their voice.

Chitose's hands hovered over the keyboard. "Which one?"

"Any of them!"

Chitose's face drained of color. Fai and I rounded the desk to see her screen. Fai did the same and we gave each other an apprehensive glace before peering over her shoulders. It took me several seconds to work out what I was seeing.

A Ferris wheel dominated the background of the image as the camera focused on a street lined with vendors. Further down, spinning rides and rollercoaster ground to a stop. Smoke billowed from a fire somewhere out of view. People ran screaming down the streets as oni pursued them, leaping from rooftops to stalls to people.

"I thought you were looking at the amusement park, not Outo," I said watching an oni slash at a woman's back.

Chitose stared at the screen, her face pale. "This _is_ the park."

A man stumbled into the room, pushing the first woman aside as he did so. "All of the players are gone!"

"From the game?"

"From the pods!"

Another flick of her fingers and we were looking at the pod room. Only a few of the closest globes were clearly visible, all of them empty. The ones beyond were empty of shadows that might have indicated a person. Chitose took a deep breath and rose, her panic replaced with a steely expression. "Madison, begin evacuations from the park. Jackson . . ." Chitose strode out of the room, commanding various people to help with evacuations, contact authorities, and secure more video feeds. As she did so, the screens on the far wall switched to various images of the park. One showed the source of the fire, crackling away in a dark room. Another was a street full of stampeding people, and third showed oni clambering up the Ferris wheel.

"There!" Fai pointed to one of the screens on the right. On it, Kurogane stood with Syaoran and Sakura, all three of them looking around in confusion between attacks on the oni around them. They all still had their clothes and gear from Outo.

I grabbed the arm of the nearest person. "Where is that?" I asked pointing to the screen.

She barely looked at me. "Garden section. Exit that door, follow the walkway on your left." Tugging her arm back, she ran to one of the other desks.

"Thank you," Fai called after her as we headed for the door she'd indicated. I rested a hand against the door and paused to look back at him.

"It's going to be bad out there. Like the café. Are you ready?" We didn't really have the option of hiding. We needed to meet with the others before they left us behind, thinking us dead. But I wanted him in the right head space.

Fai smiled, but it was sharp. It reminded me how much I didn't know about him. "I am."

I nodded and shoved open the door. Shouts and screams surrounded us, along with distant, ground-shaking explosions. We broke into a run, following the path to our left, which looked to cut through some sort of garden section. Bushes lined the stone path, and flowering trees beyond them.

About halfway down the path, a woman ran past me. It happened so fast I wondered if I'd seen it right, but her clothing flickered between a white dress and the style of coat I'd seen in Outo.

Before I could really think on it, an oni appeared in our path, flickering in the same way before solidifying. It was small, about the size of a cat, hissing at us and bearing its fangs. I hardly paused in my run as The System carried me forward with the perfect momentum, and the perfect amount of force to kick the oni at a forty-five-degree angle into the bushes. Fai might have shouted "ten points!" but it was hard to hear with the chaos around us.

The distant screech of metal drew our attention to the Ferris wheel. An oni towered over it, pulling it apart.

"Is this magic?" I yelled to Fai over my shoulder. This world must be fusing with Outo. Which shouldn't be possible, since Outo was just data. Magic was the only explanation I could think of.

"I think it must be," Fai shouted back.

The path took a sharp turn, and as we rounded it, Sakura and Syaoran came into view. They stood in a circle with Ryuuo, Souma, Yuzuriha, and Shiyu, with everyone facing outwards.

Fai waved his arm as we approached. "Syaoran-kun! Sakura-chan!"

Their heads swiveled in unison, lighting up as they caught sight of us. Sakura holstered her revolver and ran to meet us, Syaoran right behind her.

She stumbled to a stop in front of us, her hands outstretched between Fai and me. "You're okay! You're both okay!" Her eyes started to water. It seemed she'd held herself together well so far, but the relief at our return was probably one too many emotions to manage.

Mokona leapt from her shoulder to Fai's, ears twitching. "Mokona was very worried about Fai and Alice. Don't do it again!"

Fai rested a hand on Mokona. "We promise to be more careful next time."

I wasn't sure how we would have done anything different. Seishirou attacked us after we'd done everything to deescalate the situation. But Mokona had been worried, so I let it go.

Syaoran looked us both over with a concerned smile. "I'm really glad to see you're both all right."

I gripped Sakura's shoulders. "Me too." I looked her in the eye. "It wasn't real, Sakura. I'll explain more later, but we're okay. You need to focus now."

Sakura blinked a few times and took a deep breath. When she let it out, she wore a determined look. "Here." She handed me my pistol.

Relief washed over me as I took it. I slid the magazine out to check it, and shut it again with a snap. Aiming at an oni clambering through the trees, The System lit up the line of my shot in blue. It pushed my hand millimeters to the left, so that the line ended right between the oni's eyes. I fired, and the creature fell to the ground.

Ryuuo appeared next to Syaoran. "Hey! Big kitty, Rabbit! Glad to see you're okay." He looked me over. "I thought you died? In the game, I mean. Why do you have game gear?"

"I don't," I said, glowering at my Elpedite uniform. "These are my real clothes."

He blinked. "And the knives?"

"Those too."

"Oh." He stared at me. "You know, that explains a few things."

"Where is Kuro-pin?" Fai asked, his eyes scanning the group.

"He went to fight Seishirou-san." Syaoran glared at the Ferris wheel. "He's up there."

I followed his gaze. The Ferris wheel, crumpled and twisted, loomed above the smoking amusement park. From behind it, an oni flew into the air. Its snake-like body was held aloft by tattered wings, a cloaked figure on its back. The oni paused, turning to face the Ferris wheel.

On one of the beams stood a lone figure with a sword.

Syaoran turned to Fai and me. "Mokona sensed the feather coming from Seishirou. We think he has it."

"Then why are you here?" It came out more accusatory than I'd intended, but I'd expected Syaoran to go charging off the instant he found out. Both Sakura and Syaoran winced. Syaoran glanced at the dirt. "I . . ."

"I was going to go with him," Sakura said, her expression caught between guilt and determination. "After I saw you and Fai-san d-die, I didn't want Syaoran-kun to fight him. But I wanted to help, if he did."

I sighed, glancing up at the Ferris wheel. The two figures remained at a standstill, but that would end soon. Kurogane was probably ready to take Seishirou's head off, so any conversation between them would be short. "Mokona, do you have my rifle?"

"Yep," Mokona jumped from Fai's shoulder, opening their mouth and expelling a spiral of colors that coalesced into my hands. My rifle gleamed in the light.

"Thank you. Now, you need us all together for us to travel, right?"

"Nope!"

I blinked. "Explain."

Mokona grinned. "Mokona can transport everyone, even from far away."

"That's super cool, Mokona," Fai said. Mokona puffed up at the praise.

"Okay then," I said, "Syaoran and I should go back Kurogane up. Sakura and Fai, you two wait here." Syaoran wasn't going to leave unless he had that feather, and I was itching to shoot the guy that had it. Since Mokona's radius for transport was much larger than I'd assumed, then Sakura and Fai would be safer keeping their distance.

"But—" Sakura said.

"I understand you're concerned," I thumbed over my shoulder at the Ferris wheel. "But this time it will be me, Syaoran, and Kurogane against one guy, and we don't have to _beat_ Seishirou." I looked to Syaoran. "We just have to get the feather away from him. Mokona, you'll come with us. The moment you see us grab it, transport us away."

Mokona hopped to my shoulder, giving me a little salute. "Yes ma'am."

Sakura still looked worried, but less like she was about to dash after us or burst into tears. Fai rested a hand on her shoulder. "Sounds like a good plan, Alice-san. We'll be cheering you three on!"

I nodded, but something bothered me. When Fai had called me Alice, back in the café just before I died, I'd been so angry for a moment. Not at him, just in general. I didn't want to have that name, I realized. And I didn't have to.

There was no point in keeping the name. I was never going back to Elpedite, and even if I did, things would never be the same again. Any reliance Adrian had on my obedience was shattered, and I knew working for him would be too dangerous. And if I had my way, Nathaniel and I would never return to our world.

It really hit me then, that the life I'd lived for the past seven years was behind me. It would never be the same, even if Adrian found us. I'd been so focus on finding Nathaniel, and orienting myself in these new worlds full of magic, I'd barely thought about it. Alice was gone.

I took a breath and shut it all away. I'd deal with that later.

I looked to Syaoran. "Let's go."

"Right." He fell into step next to me, hand on his sword.

Ahead of us loomed the Ferris wheel. I glared up at Seishirou. He'd fought me at my weakest. Now that I had The System, and the advantage of distance, I'd make him regret it.

 **AN:** Thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you liked the chapter, they always make my day!


End file.
